


Bewitched

by Deadlihood



Series: I've Put A Spell On You [1]
Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe- Witches, Angst, Familiars, Fluff, M/M, Smut, Yugyeom and Jungkook are besties
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 05:42:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10610460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deadlihood/pseuds/Deadlihood
Summary: Yugyeom was just the tech guy next door.





	

Yugyeom woke up abruptly from a dream, heart pounding, soaked in sweat. He glanced at the red numbers on his alarm clock; 4:36 A.M. He wiped his forehead on the back of his arm, wondering how he'd gotten so hot. He'd gone to sleep with the window open to let in the breeze and the scent of the jasmine blossoms that grew down in the courtyard. 

Something felt wrong, like he was too big for his skin and everything was stretched a little too tight. The breeze from the window picked up, ruffling his damp hair. And in the dim light of his bedroom, he began to glow. Not all of him. Just his veins, tracing up his arms like spider webs. They glowed blue green at first, and then gold. He couldn't even scream, just stared in wonder at the traces of gold under his skin.

At least, until it felt like a wrecking ball hit him in the chest, and he fell back against his pillows. The wind roared, or maybe it was just his blood in his ears. His veins grew hotter and hotter, his back arch, and he felt a strangled yell rip out of his throat.

And just like that, it was over. He panted hard, trying to catch his breath, and stared at his hands. They were the same hands he'd always had, no longer traced with gold. His heart was slow, there was no pain.

"One hell of a dream." Yugyeom muttered, rolling over. Just a dream. Nothing to worry about.

Across town, Yugyeom's mother was being woken by a phone call, getting dressed hurriedly, and going to the hospital. Her son slept on peacefully, blissfully unaware of the change the morning would bring.  
\--

Yugyeom stumbled out of bed, heading for the coffee machine as he let the shower heat up. He frowned as he saw the state of his basil plant sitting by the window. It had been doing fine last night, and today it was wilting and brown. He furrowed his brows, lifting a limp leaf with one finger. He felt the faintest buzz, and watched as the basil leaves turned vibrant green again, the stalks standing up.

Yugyeom dropped the coffee cup and didn't even care when the porcelain shards sprayed across his bare feet. He rubbed his eyes, slapped himself in the face a few times, and the plant was still healthy and vibrant.

"I'm losing my mind." He muttered to himself, busying himself with the broom and dustpan. Then he went to take a shower. When he came back, his dark hair falling damply in his eyes, the plant hadn't changed. So he hadn't hallucinated it, or he was continuing to hallucinate it. 

He dressed quickly for work and headed out into the summer heat. He had locked his bike to the fence near the jasmine plants. It was stupid, and he knew it, but he still held out a hand to one of the drying blossoms. He watched the life come back to it, the petals growing thick and fragrant again. 

He jumped on the bike and pedaled away as quickly as he could. He'd been watching too much  _Batman_  lately, he thought he was Poison Ivy or something. There had to be a logical explanation.

He'd just gotten to work when he heard his phone buzz with a voicemail. He picked it up as he pushed into the blissfully cold office, his sneakers echoing softly on the marble floor. 

The message was from his mom: "Hey Gyeomie, I..." she broke off in a sob. "I'm at the hospital. Grandma passed last night. I know you have work but if you can make it over here that would be good." 

Yugyeom stared dumbly at his phone for a second before what had been said finally processed. He ran up to the tech area, where he was supposed to be fixing someone's laptop and prepping another for a new intern. One of the others looked up as he came pelting in.

"Hey, what's up?" Jungkook asked as he came in. 

"Is Seokjin around? I need to talk to him." Yugyeom felt off-balance, like his world had shifted slightly to the right.

"He just went into a meeting. What's up? You seem kind of sick." Jungkook closed the laptop lid, looking at him carefully.

"I just found out my grandmother passed away." Yugyeom raked a hand through his hair. "Can you tell Seokjin? I gotta go."

"Yeah man, I'll take care of it." Jungkook squeezed his hand gently. "I'm sorry to hear about your grandma. Go be with your family." 

"Thanks. See you later." And with that, Yugyeom took off again. If he wasn't used to riding his bike all over the city, maybe he would have been exhausted by the time he made it to the hospital and locked it haphazardly to a fence. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't get impounded before he got back.

His dad was in the lobby looking mournfully at the coffee vending machine when Yugyeom came in. "Dad!" Yugyeom called, jogging over to his dad. He looked worn out, red rimmed eyes and purple bags underneath. 

"Hi Gyeomie." His dad hugged him, making a face when he realized how sweaty his son was. "You got your mom’s message?"

"Yeah. Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"We didn't want to wake you, we knew you had work today."

"But...this is Grandma." He stared at his father, wondering why his parents hadn't called him earlier. He could have been with his mom, comforting her. Could have said his goodbyes to his grandmother.

"I know. Come on, your mom's upstairs." Yugyeom caught sight of himself in the reflective metal and tried to fix himself. His office was pretty relaxed when it came to the tech guys, especially when it was so blisteringly hot outside, and he'd gone to work in shorts and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles t-shirt. His hair was messy, he had sweat stains under both arms, and his shorts were rumpled. 

His mom was sitting in a waiting room with a guy Yugyeom vaguely recognized as his grandmother's nurse. Both of them were sniffling into tissues. Yugyeom wrapped his mother up in a hug, noting how frail she felt in his arms. She looked exhausted.

And Yugyeom understood why when he got the full story. His grandmother had been taken to the hospital early that morning, and hadn't been resuscitated. His parents had been there since almost 5 a.m. 

Most of the rest of the day was signing paperwork and death certificates and all sorts of forms that Yugyeom didn't want to think about. He didn't really want to think about anything, not after he'd been taken in to say his goodbyes.

The woman on the table didn't look like his grandmother at all. He knew, rationally, that it was her, but death was transformative. He held her cold, waxy hand, and murmured his goodbyes, and hoped she was reunited with his grandfather. Then he went into the bathroom and threw up several times before rejoining his family.

It was late afternoon by the time his parents left the hospital. They'd offered to drive Yugyeom home, but he'd wanted to be alone for a while. Biking back would give him some time to breathe, and relieve some stress. 

The sun had started to go down by the time he was pedaling back towards his apartment building. He knew the fastest route back to his house, had taken it more than once. But instead, he veered off to the left, pedaling down the street where there were a lot of businesses built in old houses. 

He let the bike slow a little, taking in the old houses and the new signs that decorated their front lawns. Then he looked in front of him and nearly flipped over the bike handles when he braked hard. 

The cat hadn't been there when he looked a second ago. It was a beautiful pure white cat, long fur cascading onto the asphalt. It blinked big amber eyes at him and then walked away to one of the houses. Yugyeom felt compelled to follow. So he got off the bike and walked it onto the porch, leaving it leaning against one of the posts. The cat was sitting by the front door, waiting for him. When he turned towards it, it went inside. So he did too.

The shop was warmly lit, the creaking of an old fan echoing somewhere in the shop. Yugyeom paused by a display case: inside were rows and rows of polished stones, each neatly labeled.

 _Azurite: vision, insight, learning. Bloodstone: purification, courage._ To his left was a display case of colored candles, also labeled for their purposes.

"Pebbles! You're supposed to be outside waiting!" A voice said and Yugyeom froze. He had just thought of making a run for it when a boy came out from behind some shelves, the cat in his arms. The boy stopped and stared at Yugyeom, who stared right back.

The boy was deeply tanned, his white blond hair making him look even darker. He had a full mouth like Yugyeom had only seen on female models, and dark angular eyes. His arms and hands were decorated with silver bands, some dotted with stones and some not. The cat meowed, wiggled in his arms, and disappeared into the store.

"Papa! He's here!" The boy bellowed, startling Yugyeom.

"I, uh, I was just biking by-" Yugyeom started, and the boy shook his head.

"We've been expecting you. Come on." He gestured Yugyeom to follow him, but he stayed rooted to the spot. It didn't matter either way. An older man with graying hair and a gray mustache had already come out of the back. His hands were similarly covered in rings, but he looked less ethereally threatening.

The older man paused, taking Yugyeom in. "You have her eyes, you know?" He said finally.

"Who's eyes?" Yugyeom asked.

"Your grandmother's, of course. Hyejin and I were very close."

"Who  _are_ you? And what do you mean, you've been expecting me?" The second part was directed at the blond boy, who was leaning up against one of the counters looking bored.

"My name is Raymond Tuan. This is BamBam." The older man said. "And you've already met Pebbles."

"Is Pebbles the cat?"

"She's not just a cat, but yes." BamBam said, smiling slightly at the white cat who had reappeared by his feet.

"I was sorry to hear that Hyejin passed last night. Her nurse was kind enough to let me know so I could make arrangements for you."

"For me?" 

Raymond stepped a little closer, his fatherly eyes the only reason Yugyeom didn't cut and run. "Around 4:30 this morning, did something strange happen to you?" The dream. The glowing veins. Yugyeom glanced down at his arms, and that was enough confirmation. "I'll take that as a yes. That was your gift returning to you."

"My gift?"

"Your gift, of magic."

Yugyeom burst out laughing, the note of hysteria in it making Pebbles flatten her ears. "Magic? Really?"

"Your grandmother stripped your gift from you when you were a baby. She didn't want you to have to deal with it until you were older. And when she became ill this last time, she instructed me on the nature of your gift and how best to help you. That's why I called you here."

"So you're telling me that my grandmother was a witch, and I'm a witch, and you are too?"

"And BamBam, of course."

"You've been smoking too much pot, dude." Yugyeom shook his head. "There's no way." He turned to leave.

"You've always had a connection to plants, haven't you Yugyeom? You like to have them around, you're good at caring for them?" Raymond called after him. Yugyeom hesitated. "You've got a gift for them, a real green thumb. A plant witch is very powerful. You need to learn to control your gifts." There was the soft pad of paws on the wood floor, and then Pebbles was prodding him with a business card she had in her mouth. "Come back when you're ready, Yugyeom. But be careful in the meantime."

Yugyeom took the card and pedaled home as fast as he could. He didn't dare look at his basil plant, just swallowed a sleeping pill and prayed he'd wake up the next day without anything weird in his life.

\--

Yugyeom called out of work the next day. Seokjin sent an email expressing his condolences that Yugyeom only glanced at. He was too engrossed in his search at the local nursery for the saddest, driest plant he could find. The cashier looked surprised at his selection but didn't say anything.

Yugyeom settled it into the basket of his bike, tying the pot in with bungee cords just to be safe. It would be kind of pointless if he lost the plant on a big bump or something on the way home. He ignored the guy in the pickup truck across the way staring at him; he was used to being stared at. He'd gotten tall before most of the kids in his grade, but hadn't filled out until Jungkook had discovered weightlifting. With his mop of messy hair, extreme height, and penchant for biking everywhere, he'd been kind of the odd kid he's whole life. At least now he was strong enough to defend himself.

After the long bike ride home, Yugyeom took the time to dunk his head under cold water and strip off his sweaty clothes. The plant had lost some of its leaves on the way home; it was sitting on his kitchen table looking very sad. Yugyeom slicked his hair off his face, not caring when the droplets ran down his bare back, and stood in front of the plant.

He had always been good at taking care of plants. He'd always thought that was kind of luck though; Jungkook couldn't even keep cacti alive. He wasn't sure how to proceed. He'd just touched the basil plant the day before, but he'd handled the anthurium a lot at the nursery and it was still dry and crispy-looking.

He watered it and walked away for a while, wondering what kind of Twilight Zone he was in that he was taking the word of a stranger over what he knew to be true about himself. His grandmother hadn't been a witch. And he certainly wasn't a witch. It was just a fluke, that was it. He was going to go back in there and do all the witchy hand motions he could think of and the plant would still be dead.

He steeled himself and went back to his kitchen. The soil was damp now, but no change to the leaves. He let the fingers of one hand sink into the soil, the others gently touching the withering stalk.

There was a hum somewhere in his head, like the lull of mosquitoes buzzing or maybe like that old fan at the magic shop. He closed his eyes, listening to the hum. He felt the hum slide down his arms, crackle down his spine. And when he opened his eyes, the plant was green and bushy, a red flower unfurling before him.

He fainted dead away, crashing hard onto the linoleum floor. 

When he finally came to, his head hurt and the plant seemed to have grown even more. He went and sat in his living room with an ice pack on the back of his head. So maybe he was a witch. There was no other explanation for how that dead, crispy plant had gotten so green and bushy. 

After a while of sitting there staring at the ugly popcorn ceiling, Yugyeom got up and put on a clean shirt, found fresh socks, and dug through the pile of dirty clothes on his floor to find the business card for the magic shop. 

A pair of amber colored eyes looked at him from one side of the card. On the other side were simply the words  _Tuan and Sons,_ with the address underneath. He'd been right about what street it was on at the very least. It wouldn't be a long ride.

He went down stairs and found Pebbles sitting by his bike, her fluffy tail curled over her paws. Yugyeom stared at her for a moment, finally recognizing the eyes on the business card. 

"Did you come to get me?" Yugyeom asked, bending to scratch her ears. She let him, tilting her head into his broad palm. She meowed indignantly when he picked her up until she realized he was putting her in his bike basket. Then she settled in, paws resting on the basket like she was the figurehead of a mighty ship.

The bleach-blond from the night before was sitting on the front porch of the store with a glass of lemonade when Yugyeom pulled up. Pebbles leaped out of his basket and padded over to sit at his feet, rubbing her face against his bare calf.

"You came back." The boy said, smiling wide. 

"Kind of didn't have a choice." Yugyeom shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"There's always a choice. Come on, Raymond is inside." 

"I thought he was your dad?" 

The boy laughed. "No, he's just the closest thing I have to a dad. I call him Papa, it makes him happy." 

"Yes, it does BamBam." Raymond said, coming out from behind the counter. "Yugyeom, good to see you again."

BamBam, that was the boy's name. Yugyeom wondered where that particular name had come from. "I, uh, thought about what you said last night."

"And you tested it." Raymond sounded like he already knew the answer.

"I did." Yugyeom realized he still had dirt under his fingernails.

"Well, let's see what you can do. Bammie, can you flip the sign?" Raymond gestured for Yugyeom to follow him. Before he did, Yugyeom watched BamBam make a motion with his finger; the sign spun from "OPEN" to "CLOSED". Then the three of them threaded their way through the shop and out onto the back porch. What had once been the backyard now was filled with a greenhouse. Yugyeom took a deep breath when they walked in, savoring the smell of rich, wet earth and green leaves.

"We grow a lot of our own herbs here, but some of the plants Bammie and I aren't familiar enough with to fix on our own. Can you give it a try?" Raymond led Yugyeom to a planter box filled with fading blue flowers.

"Is it safe to touch?" Yugyeom didn't think it was a normal plant; normal plants didn't have red leaves and blue flowers. 

"Perfectly safe." The other two stood back as Yugyeom situated himself. He was nervous suddenly. What if he couldn't do it? What if his magic got stage fright? 

"Here goes nothing." He muttered to himself, pushing his fingers into the soil. The flowers felt like silk against his fingers.

"It's a magical plant, so don't-" The warning came too late. There was a flash of green light, a loud boom, and then Yugyeom was flat on his back, his head ringing like a bell. BamBam's worried face appeared over him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, helping Yugyeom sit up.

"I think so. What happened?" Yugyeom rubbed his head, wondering how he'd managed to hit the same spot both times he'd fallen that day. When he was on his feet, he saw exactly what had happened. The plant had revived, that was for sure. It was also nearing five feet tall, the flowers each as big as Yugyeom's hand. "Jesus Christ."

"I didn't think you'd pour so much power into it. My mistake, I should have warned you earlier." Raymond still looked very proud. "You did an excellent job, Yugyeom."

"Yeah." He said faintly, looking at the flowers. He'd done that. He'd made it spurt up like that.

"Come on, I think you need something for the shock." BamBam said, leading Yugyeom out of the greenhouse. Raymond stayed behind in the greenhouse. Yugyeom was settled into a very well-worn armchair while BamBam looked through a mini fridge stuffed full of labeled vials.

"What is all that?" Yugyeom asked, leaning forward until it made his head swim.

"They're all different potions. Some for vitality, some for healing, some for clarity." BamBam straightened up, two vials in his hand. One was violently purple, and the other was clear. "Here. One for the shock, and one for your head."

"Thanks." Yugyeom took the clear one first, thinking it would taste the most normal. It didn't. BamBam had to pinch his nose and cover his mouth so he would swallow it. "What the hell is in that?"

"I don't think either of us want to know." BamBam at least looked sympathetic. "Raymond's son makes these potions."

"Does he hate people?" Yugyeom downed the purple one quickly, not letting it linger on his tongue too long.

BamBam laughed as he made a complicated motion with his hands. A glass full of lemonade floated in and over to Yugyeom, who drank it gratefully. "Mark loves people. He just doesn't really make them to be palatable. He makes them to work. And I guess it makes sense, considering."

"Considering what?"

"Mark's a normie." Yugyeom blinked. "He's non-magical like his mom. He can mix potions like nobody's business but he doesn't have magic of his own. So he became a chemist. He can't exactly taste that stuff to make sure it's good so I think he doesn't taste these either in case he gets confused."

"So magic isn't hereditary."

"Not exactly, no." BamBam sat down in the other armchair, pulling his legs up under himself. "I mean, my baby sister and I have magic like our dad did, but my mom and my brothers don't have magic. Raymond's wife and his kids don't have magic."

"Did you know my grandmother?"

"I met her a couple times when she came to the shop to pick things up. By the time I was here a lot, Jackson was doing the deliveries for her."

"Jackson? Her nurse?" Yugyeom didn't know her nurse very well, just that he was a young guy and he'd taught her a lot of Chinese curse words. 

"Yeah. He's a normie too, but Hyejin trusted him. He was her runner for a lot of things. He dates Mark."

Yugyeom put his head in his hands. The potion for the headache wasn't working well enough. "Jesus Christ."

"I'm going to stop talking now." BamBam whistled between his teeth and then something soft and warm landed in Yugyeom's lap. Between his fingers, he saw Pebbles's white fur. He stroked her idly while BamBam fluttered around, organizing the storeroom. By the time Raymond came back, the place was nearly spotless and Yugyeom's headache had started to fade.

"Are you feeling better?" Raymond asked.

"A little. I think I need to go see my parents soon, they're going to need my help with the funeral stuff." Yugyeom eased Pebbles off his lap; she gave him a glare before going to wind around BamBam's legs.

"Please let me know when the services are going to be." Raymond walked him out and watched as he got onto his back and peddled away.

Magic had always been around him, and he'd never even known it. Yugyeom wondered if either of his parents had magic, or if it had skipped a generation to him. He did wonder why the magic had been taken from him. Now that it was back, and now that he had used it a few times, he felt like something had been replaced, something that had always been gone. And he could smell the plants, could smell the willow bark and the ivy tendrils and the Mexican poppies on the corner. All this had been taken from him for so long. 

\--

Yugyeom didn’t think he’d ever been to a weirder funeral. His family was there, and Seokjin and Jungkook had come. That wasn’t the strange part.

The strange part was Raymond showing up in a full white suit, BamBam dressed in blue velvet. Jackson, his grandmother’s nurse, with who he assumed was Raymond’s son, both wearing a ridiculous amount of jewelry like BamBam did. A young man in a purple shirt standing off to the side with squirrels and birds clustering around him. Old women with unsettlingly bright eyes, old men leaning on gnarled branches with leaves still bursting from them. Yugyeom also pretended that he didn’t see the raven sitting in one woman’s hat, or the stray cat with the third eye that had wandered up to the congregation.

It got even weirder after his grandmother’s casket had been lowered into the ground, and Yugyeom joined his parents in the receiving line. Jungkook and Seokjin had to go back to work, so they were the first to go through.

Then came Raymond, surprisingly not sweating through his white suit. “There will be another ceremony tonight. I’ll send Pebbles for you.” He murmured to Yugyeom. BamBam just winked.

The boy with the squirrels trailing him pressed a small silver charm into Yugyeom’s hand. As each of the strange visitors came up, they handed him charms, bits of dried leaves, a small crystal. He did his best to slide them straight into his pockets so his parents wouldn’t see. His mom hadn’t said anything about magic to him and he didn’t want her to think he’d lost it after his grandmother had passed. So he guessed they hadn’t known anything about his gift. And he kind of didn’t mind it that way.

Yugyeom excused himself from the crowd of the reception to go sit in the backyard, under the shade of the willow tree. He loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves. It was entirely too hot to be in this outfit. He was sure his grandmother wouldn’t have minded him wearing shorts to her funeral. She had loved comfort more than anyone he’d ever known.

He was sitting with his back against the willow tree, wondering what kind of ceremony Raymond was going to hold for his grandmother, when he felt the hum crackling over his skin. The grass around him looked a little greener, the clovers a little brighter.

And then he heard the sigh. At first he thought it was the wind moving the willow’s branches. But the air was still, stiflingly so. He had braced his hand against the tree to get up when the sigh got louder, and he watched a tendril of the willow come towards his face and caress his cheek.

 _Shhh_ , the willow sighed. His eyes fluttered shut and he fell back against the tree again. _Shhh_. And he listened to the willow sigh, and the clovers sing, and the deep hum of the earth. He listened to the earthworms digging tracks beneath him, to the buzz of the tulips in the corner.

He hadn’t realized he was crying until a tear dropped off his chin and sizzled into the grass. It turned blue before his eyes. One, two, three four tears, leaving spots of colors in the grass like paintballs. He tried to rub the color off, tried to mentally tell the grass to be green again, but nothing worked. He hoped they’d fade eventually before he had to explain how he’d turned the grass a different color.

Even as freaked as he was about getting caught, it was hard to resist the pull of the earth, to listen to the garden sing around him. It was like being in a cradle of roots, the plants singing a lullaby to him. And somehow, mixed in with the voices, he thought he heard his grandmother.

“Gyeomie! Are you out here?” Yugyeom’s mother called. He scrambled upright, hurrying to meet her before she saw the speckled grass.

“Yeah, I’m here.” He said, dusting himself off. His mother looked exhausted. He felt a little bad about enjoying himself out in the yard while she was trying to hold everything together at her mother’s funeral.

“You remember halmoni’s nurse, Jackson?” Yugyeom’s mother gestured at the blond behind her. “He wanted to see you.” With that, she excused herself back inside.

Jackson was bleach blond, the sides close cropped and the top swept away from his face. His dress shirt sleeves were rolled up, revealing the rows of bracelets on his wrists and the piles of rings on his fingers.

“I wish I’d gotten to know you while Hyejin was still with us.” Jackson said softly. “My condolences. She was a wonderful woman.”

“I hadn’t been to see her in a while. I wish…I wish I’d spent more time with her. Maybe she would have told me what I am.” Yugyeom rubbed his arms to try to soothe himself.

“She didn’t want you to know until she was gone. I don’t know why. But in her last days, I think she knew she was passing. She had me set some things aside for you, and her jewelry.”

“Why the jewelry?” Yugyeom glanced at Jackson’s arms. “Is it a witch thing to accessorize?”

Jackson laughed. “No, no. These are charms. I may be non-magical, but they still work on me. This big blue one is a detector for when someone is thinking ill of me. The green bracelet is for health.”

“So she left me her charms?”

“They’re family heirlooms. They get passed down through the generations. Some of mine are from Mark’s father.”

“BamBam told me you date Raymond’s son.”

“I do. Mark’s inside with Raymond right now. BamBam went back to get the shop ready for tonight.”

“What exactly are we doing tonight? Raymond said something about another ceremony for my grandmother.”

“Witches have their own specific rituals for sending a spirit off to the next life. As her magical descendent, it’s important for you to be there.”

“No pressure.” Yugyeom muttered.

“If it weren’t for you, no one from her bloodline would be there. And that’s kind of sad, isn’t it? A funeral without family?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“It won’t be bad, I promise. No one is expecting you to give a eulogy.” Jackson glanced back inside at the reception. “Honestly, I prefer magical funerals to non-magical ones. These are so focused on loss. A witch’s funeral should be a celebration of their life and magic.”

“I know Mark is really good at making potions. Could he-” Yugyeom hesitated. He didn’t know how he felt about dosing his mom with something without her knowing. “Could he make a potion for my mom, to ease her grief a little?”

Jackson’s eyes softened. “I’m sure he can do something for her. Mark thinks he doesn’t have magic, but that’s a gift, the way he is with potions. It’s just as magical as BamBam’s conjuring and your plant magic.”

“How did you know what I can do?”

“BamBam’s a gossip. He told Mark how you made that plant grow five feet just by touching it.”

“And what did you say is BamBam’s gift?”

“He’s a conjuror. It’ll be easier for him to explain his gift himself. I find most witches like to talk about their gifts.” The way that Jackson smiled made it seem like he didn’t really mind. “Anyway, I’m sure you came out here to be by yourself. I just wanted to let you know that I have some things for you from your grandmother.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you tonight I guess?”

“I’ll be there.” Jackson unclasped one of his bracelets from around his wrist and wound it around Yugyeom’s. “This one should start your collection. It’s a basic sensor for danger.” Yugyeom was surprised how cool the silver was against his skin. The metal was studded with bits of green stone with black veins.

“What is this?” Yugyeom asked, running his finger over one of the stones.

“Malachite. It’s for protection.” Jackson patted his arm gently. “Raymond is a good teacher, and Hyejin left a lot of notes for you. You’re not going to go through this blindly.”

“Thank you.”

Jackson just nodded and left Yugyeom under the willow tree. He had a feeling he’d need to draw strength from the earth to make it through the night’s ceremony. It made him feel less bad about sitting outside and soaking up the earth’s magic.

No one minded when he excused himself after the reception had ended. His parents seemed to realize he needed time on his own to process what had happened. So his dad dropped him off at his apartment with no questions asked. Yugyeom let his hand trail across the jasmine plant, sighing happily when the flowers bloomed bigger and their perfume surrounded him like a blanket.

He showered the grass and dirt and sweat out of his hair and left his uncomfortable suit to the side. It didn’t seem right to wear a suit to a magical funeral. As he stood in front of his closet, he thought about his grandmother, about what she had liked and what she would have wanted.

And then he spotted it, tucked between the shirts he wore when he had to look semi-professional at work. His grandmother had given it to him for his birthday the year before. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, had worn it a few times to work. But as he reached in now and pulled out the black and white rose patterned shirt, he thought maybe she was leaving a message for him. She’d been in the wheelchair by then, pushed into his birthday party by Jackson. Maybe she’d given him the plant shirt as a sign, to let him know what was on the horizon.

Whatever it meant, he buttoned it up, put on clean jeans, and found a pair of sneakers that didn’t look too terrible. With the bracelet Jackson had given him around his arm, he felt pretty comfortable. And if anyone had anything to say, he was the only member of Hyejin’s family with magic, so they were just going to have to deal with him.

He heard scratching at his front door and peeked out through the peephole. He could just barely see a white tail and opened the door, letting Pebbles in to wind around his legs.

“Hi baby. Did you come to get me?” He asked, picking her up.

“We both came.” BamBam said from the breezeway. Yugyeom poked his head out the door to see him. “Did you do that to the jasmine plant?”

Yugyeom’s mouth twitched. “Yes.”

“You’ve got some juice.” BamBam glanced over him. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah I was just going to fix my hair.”

“Don’t bother. Where we’re going, it’s going to get messed up.”

“Are we going on broomsticks or something?” Yugyeom asked as he went back inside to get his keys and wallet.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t take a beginner on a broom. I’ll drive us.” The three of them headed down the stairs; Pebbles had a bed in the center console that she settled into happily. Yugyeom watched as BamBam turned the wheel to pull out of the parking lot, the streetlights reflecting off the jewelry he was wearing. The other boy was wearing a dark silk button up with the sleeves rolled up, his bracelets collecting on his slender wrists.

“So what exactly happens at a magical funeral?” Yugyeom asked, stroking Pebbles’ ears to keep himself calm.

“It’s about a celebration of her life, of her line, of her magic. You’re her only magical descendant, so we’re celebrating you too.” BamBam glanced over at him, his eyes shining in the dark. “It’s fun. No danger, no worries.”

The rest of the ride passed in comfortable silence. Yugyeom recognized where they were going as the local wilderness park. There were several other cars parked at the bottom of the trail, lights glowing farther up in the trees.

“Bonfire?” Yugyeom asked as they got closer.

“Not exactly.” BamBam lifted Pebbles to sit on his shoulder, a smile on his face as he led Yugyeom to the clearing.

Yugyeom had to stop and stare for a moment at the beauty of the clearing. The lights were glowing balls suspended in midair, shining brilliantly like they were made of faceted glass. A long table held food and drinks, another a pile of what looked like gifts. Yugyeom took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of the trees and the grass. He stopped to steady himself on one of the trees and felt the pulse of the sap inside.

He didn’t think he’d ever felt more alive. BamBam brought him an opalescent drink, milky and reflective. It tasted sweet and refreshing, and he felt a familiar buzz like it was alcoholic. But as he felt more relaxed and happy, he noticed his mind was still clear.

“Come on, there’s some people you should meet.” BamBam said, taking him by the arm to lead him around. Their first stop was at the boy in the purple, with an army of squirrels, birds, and rabbits at his feet. They shrank back at their approach, especially when they saw Pebbles. But she made no move to attack them, and the boy in purple made a soft clucking noise that seemed to calm them.

“Yugyeom, this is Youngjae, one of my friends.” BamBam gestured at the animals around them. “He’s an animal witch, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Do you draw them like that all the time?” Yugyeom asked, shaking his hand.

“I try to keep the bigger ones away, but there’s no harm in letting the birds and squirrels come hang out.” Youngjae shook his head. “There’s a mountain lion that really wants to come join the party, but I sent her away.” As if he hadn’t said anything weird, he turned to Yugyeom. “So, you’re a plant witch, right?”

“That’s what it seems like, yeah.” Yugyeom rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. A squirrel perched itself on his shoe.

“He’s gifted, believe me. He made a moonflower plant grow five feet just by touching it.” BamBam broke in. Youngjae let out an impressed whistle.

“Well, I’m glad to meet you.” Youngjae crouched and murmured something to the creatures around him, who flooded into the shadows surrounding the party. “Jinyoung and Jaebum are on their way over.”

“Who?” Yugyeom was asking when they arrived. The first boy smelled very strongly of salt water, a large pearl hanging from each ear. His dark hair was wavy and he looked clean, but he smelled like he had just come from the beach.

“Water witch,” BamBam whispered in his ear helpfully. “This is Jinyoung and his boyfriend Jaebum, another one of our resident normies.”

“I wish you’d stop calling me that.” Jaebum grumbled, even as he hugged BamBam. He, unlike Mark and Jackson, didn’t wear any rings or charms. At least, Yugyeom thought so until he saw a large pearl and shell earring dangling from one ear. He suspected that was magical.

“Well you are. Mark and Jackson don’t mind it.”

“Mark’s not a normie.” Jinyoung said in a soft voice that made Yugyeom think of a creek his parents used to take him to. BamBam’s response was cut off by him yelping and jumping out of the way.

“Boys, stop hogging Hyejin’s grandson.” An elderly man said, leaning on the staff he’d probably just hit BamBam with. One eye was milky white, the other unsettlingly blue. “Yugyeom, it’s so good to meet you.”

“It’s…nice to meet you too.” Yugyeom must have looked terrified, because he felt the soft flick of Pebbles’s tail across his cheek.

“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Alistair. I knew Hyejin long ago.” This time Yugyeom caught the slight British accent in his voice.  He was one of the men with the still flowering canes.  “It’s good to see you finally with us. I hope Raymond won’t spend too much time with his Oriental magic.” Yugyeom gaped; the others seemed unfazed by his comment.

“I think Raymond’s magic is my family’s magic too. We’re both _Orientals_ after all.” Yugyeom managed to say. The leaves on the tree nearest to them shook violently.

“Steady, boy.” Alistair gestured at the tree with his cane. “You don’t want to set anything off.”

“Oh look, Raymond’s calling us!” BamBam said a little too loudly, gripping Yugyeom’s upper arm and towing him away. The trees shook as they passed, until Yugyeom finally could breathe without tasting iron in his mouth.

“He knew my grandmother and he’s that much of a racist?” Yugyeom snarled, instinctively dropping into a crouch to dig his fingers into the moss at the base of an oak tree. He sighed immediately, the dampness against his fingertips soothing him.

“I think sometimes Alistair forgets that white people didn’t invent magic.” BamBam passed his hand over Yugyeom’s hair gently, petting it back from his face. “It’s okay. Just breathe.”

Raymond and Mark had joined them by the time Yugyeom had straightened up, his hair a little mussed from BamBam petting it. “Are you all right?” Raymond asked, noting the slight color in Yugyeom’s cheeks. More as a father than as a witch, he reached out to touch Yugyeom’s forehead to check for a fever.

“Alistair got a hold of him briefly. He’s all right.” BamBam rolled his eyes.

“I still can’t believe Hyejin didn’t put a hex on him at some point.” Raymond muttered. “Well, Yugyeom, I hope he didn’t spoil your opinion of the magical community.”

“Well, so far I’ve met an animal witch, a water witch, BamBam the conjuror, and you. Everyone other than him as been nice.” Yugyeom didn’t even blink when another glass of the opalescent drink appeared in his hands. He took a sip, grateful for the coolness on his dry throat. “Oh, and Mark the potions master.”

“That reminds me.” Mark dug into the pocket of his jacket and produced a small vial of pale blue liquid. “Jackson told me you wanted a grief tonic for your mom. You can slip this into a drink and she won’t taste it.”

“I kind of feel like I’m roofie-ing my mom.” Yugyeom said, even as he pocketed it.

“You want her to feel better. Magic can’t erase the pain, but it can ease it a little.” Mark looked like an angel in the light of the lanterns. Maybe Yugyeom was a little drunker than he thought.

The drinks helped as Yugyeom was bounced between different acquaintances of his grandmother’s, each sharing stories with him about his grandmother, and the power that he had suddenly regained. His tie to plant life seemed to extend to the earth, which would explain why he’d been able to hear the earthworms earlier that day.

He was a little dizzy and exhausted by the time he found himself in BamBam’s grip again, leaning against the old oak and watching the crowd milling about.

“Who’s that?” He asked, pointing at a dark haired boy standing off towards the side by himself. At first Yugyeom thought it was an extra-long lock of hair hanging by his neck, until the wings unfurled slightly and he realized it was a bat.

“That’s Yoongi. He’s a night witch.” BamBam murmured softly.

“What does that entail, exactly?” Yugyeom saw the bat shift in Yoongi’s hair, and the boy reached up to stroke it gently with one finger.

“He draws power from the night, and the moon. Bone and blood magic are his forte, apparently. I’ve never really talked to him myself, but Jackson is friends with one of his friends.”

“Interesting.” Yugyeom had never shied away from physical contact, especially since Jungkook was known to be extremely cuddly, but he was a little surprised at the easy way that BamBam kept an arm draped around his waist. One warm hand was settled on his hip, the cool rings heavy against his skin. It seemed perfectly natural to Yugyeom to lean his head against BamBam’s, his fluffy white hair soft against his cheek.

“You’re getting presents, you know that right?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s not a usual thing for a magical funeral, but since you’ve just come back into your powers, people have brought you gifts to help you on your way.”

“Really?”

“Mhm. That pile over there is all for you.”

“Nothing is going to explode, right?”

“I mean. It shouldn’t.”

“I think I don’t want to look in that by myself.” Yugyeom shook his head, the white strands tickling his nose.

BamBam just laughed. “Fine, Raymond and I can look in them with you.”

“Thank you.” Yugyeom yawned, feeling the stress of the day and the alcohol he’d consumed settling into his bones. He wanted to sit down and feel the moss, to listen to the earth’s hum again.

“I should take you home.” BamBam patted Yugyeom’s hip. “Let me get Jinyoung.” He left Yugyeom propped against the oak for a moment and then the water witch had replaced him, holding the younger boy up.

“Are you all right?” Jinyoung asked in that soft voice. Yugyeom looked into his misty eyes a little too long and felt the earth sway under his feet a little. Jinyoung looked away abruptly and helped Yugyeom steady himself. “Some people find if they look in my eyes too long they feel the ocean.”

“Yeah, I got that.” Yugyeom dug his fingers into the bark to find his center again. “Why do you smell like sea water?”

Jinyoung just laughed. “It’s a side effect. The more I use my magic, the more like a sea hag I get. Jaebum’s a surfer at least so he doesn’t mind it.”

Yugyeom was still giggling when BamBam came back. “Having fun?” BamBam asked, poking Yugyeom’s cheek.

“Plenty.” Yugyeom leaned forward to kiss Pebbles on the nose and she flattened her ears in disgust.

“She doesn’t like the smell of witches brew.” BamBam explained. “Watch this.” He waited until Yugyeom’s eyes had settled on him and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. Yugyeom watched as the crowded table cleared itself and disappeared into thin air.

“Where did it go?” Yugyeom asked.

“I sent it to the shop, so Raymond can see if there’s anything dangerous in it.” BamBam put Pebbles on the ground and reached out to take Yugyeom from Jinyoung. “Come on big guy, let’s get you home.”

“I have to say goodbye to Raymond!”

“Trust me, he knows we’re leaving. He wants you to get a good night’s rest.”

So Yugyeom stopped arguing, and let BamBam pile him into the car to go home. It was a struggle getting up the stairs, especially with Pebbles winding around their feet and nearly tripping Yugyeom. But eventually, he got his key in the right way and nearly fell into his apartment. BamBam, backlit by the moon, glowed softly in the doorway.

“Sleep well, Yugyeom.” He said, and Yugyeom felt the strangest fizzing in his veins.

“Good night.” He said faintly. The door closed and Yugyeom took himself to bed, exhaustion dragging him under to dreams of oak trees and moss and dirt and roots that sang.

\--

Yugyeom decided that if he was drinking, witches brew was the way to go. He had no hangover the next morning as he got up for work. Seokjin had given him the option of coming in or not, but he felt well enough to tackle the office.

Jungkook looked happy to see him back and his desk was stacked high with cards from each department, expressing their condolences. He set them aside for later examination and got to checking his overflowing inbox. Jungkook had been taking the majority of the tickets coming in to keep everything running while Yugyeom was gone. He felt his heart thud a little when he looked at Jungkook and how dark the circles under his eyes were.

“Let me buy you a beer after work.” Yugyeom said across the table to him.

“You owe me more than a beer.” Jungkook snapped back, but he was grinning. They were working at their respective computers for a while until someone cleared their throat over Yugyeom’s shoulder. Yugyeom took his headphones off and turned to see who it was. It was someone he didn’t recognize, which didn’t surprise him considering how big the company was. He looked about his age, with light brown hair tied out of his eyes with a colorful scarf. He was clutching a laptop to his chest, looking a little nervous.

“Taehyung!” Jungkook’s voice was a little too loud. Yugyeom glanced at him and saw how big Jungkook’s eyes had gotten.

“You’re the new intern, right?” Yugyeom asked, biting back a smile. “I’m Yugyeom.”

“Taehyung.” The intern looked terrified out of his mind. “Jungkook, I’m sorry, I screwed something up again.”

“It’s not a problem. Let me take a look at it.” Jungkook was out of his chair so fast it almost made Yugyeom dizzy.

“Kook, let me do it, you’ve been so busy while I was gone.” Yugyeom said.

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll handle it.” Jungkook answered, a little too quickly. Yugyeom smirked; Jungkook glared before turning back to the laptop as Taehyung explained what was wrong.

“So how have your first few days been?” Yugyeom asked, too amused by the scene in front of him to work.

“Rough.” Taehyung blew out a breath, ruffling his bangs. “I mean, everyone has been super nice to me, but my laptop hates me and I even managed to kill my cactus.”

“Are you sure it’s dead?” Yugyeom wondered if he could revive a completely dead plant.

“I mean, it’s pretty shriveled and sad.”

“You should let me take a look at it. I’m really good with plants.”

“Yeah, I’ll bring it up the next time my laptop explodes, which should be about five seconds after Jungkook stops touching it.” Taehyung sighed sadly. “Technology hates me.”

“That should do it. Bring it back if its still acting up.” Jungkook was practically shooting hearts out of his eyes at the intern, who gave him a cute smile and a half-hug before skipping off. Jungkook sat down, staring off after him.

“You are so _gay_.” Yugyeom laughed. Jungkook threw a pen at him.

“Shut up. You’re super gay too.” Jungkook grumbled. If Yugyeom thought about it, most of the tech department was gay.

“Are you purposefully breaking his laptop so he’ll have to come up here?”

“No! He really is just technologically challenged.”

“And you’re taking full advantage of it.”

“Maybe a little.”

“Just ask for his number, Kookie.” Yugyeom turned back to his computer, watching as more tickets flooded in from the sales department. It took Seokjin and Yugyeom almost an hour to fix the sales system that someone had fucked up.

“I forgot to tell you earlier, I like the bracelet you’re wearing.” Seokjin said as he and Yugyeom rode back down from the sixth floor.

“Oh, thanks.” Yugyeom had almost forgotten he was wearing Jackson’s bracelet.

“It’s malachite, right?”

“I, uh, I don’t know.” Yugyeom didn’t like the way his boss was eyeing him, as if he knew more about the bracelet than Yugyeom thought.  “I just liked the green.”

“It suits you.” Seokjin went back to his desk, and Yugyeom sat back across from Jungkook. There was a very sad looking cactus sitting on his desk in a Bulbasaur planter.

“I see Taehyung came back.” Yugyeom said to Jungkook.

“He wiped all his files off his computer.” Jungkook didn’t look up from the laptop as he kept clicking through things. “I told him to go take a walk while I fixed it.”

“You don’t want him hanging around?”

“I thought his proximity might actually injure it.” Jungkook shook his head. “He’s adorable, but I don’t know how he managed to accidentally do a system wipe.”

“Good luck man. I’m going to see if I can save this cactus.” He took it over to the kitchen, furtively looking around to make sure there wasn’t anyone nearby. If he made it healthy all at once, Taehyung would be suspicious. Yugyeom gently cupped the planter in his hands, looking at the little Bulbasaur face etched in the plastic.

“You’re going to be fine.” He said softly, feeling the hum in his fingers. “I’m going to give you life, but slowly, okay?”

Clearly his magic, or the cactus, didn’t understand slowly, because it turned green and plump in his hands, a fat yellow flower blooming before his eyes.

“Fuck.” He muttered. Obviously his magic was all or nothing. He brought it back to his desk, hoping Jungkook wouldn’t notice.

“Holy shit, what did you do to it?” Jungkook asked, taking in the healthy cactus.

“Watered it.” Yugyeom tried to sound nonchalant even as he panicked.

“Fuck, Taehyung really can’t keep anything alive.” Jungkook snorted, and turned back to his work. Yugyeom let out a long sigh of relief.

After work, Jungkook and Yugyeom went to the bar down the street so Yugyeom could buy him an apology beer.

“How are your folks holding up?” Jungkook asked over their beers.

“They’re doing as well as they can, I think. My mom is still trying to deal with all the legal stuff, getting her will and the death certificate and all that.” Yugyeom blew some of the froth off his beer. “I just wish there was more I could do for her, you know?” He had put the grief potion away in his sock drawer for when he saw his mom next. He was worried about slipping it in without her noticing.

“I feel it. You do the best you can. That’s all anyone can ask of you.” They talked about the sales system going down and Taehyung and other office gossip until they’d finished a couple rounds of beers and headed out.

Pebbles was sitting in Yugyeom’s bike basket when they walked back towards the office. “Hey kitty, what are you doing here?” Yugyeom asked, petting her head gently.

“How did she get in there anyway?” Jungkook asked. Pebbles flattened her ears at him.

“Must have jumped. She’s got a tag, I’ll call the owner.”

“Shit, the bus is coming. I’ll catch you later.” Jungkook hurried over to the bus stop and Yugyeom leaned over Pebbles.

“Pebbles, you can’t just show up at my office.” Yugyeom scolded gently. “I’ll have to give BamBam my phone number.” A small voice in the back of his head told him he wouldn’t mind BamBam having his number for other reasons. Yugyeom ignored it and pedaled them off to the magic shop.

BamBam was inside making boxes of stones sort themselves into their appropriate drawers when Pebbles and Yugyeom came in. “I was wondering when you’d show up. I sent Pebbles out for you like an hour ago.”

“I was at work.” Yugyeom sat crosslegged on the floor next to him, Pebbles curling up between them. “This must make doing inventory much faster.”

“I’m faster with Pebbles. Watch this.” BamBam lifted the fluffy cat into his lap and the stones whizzed into place so fast that all Yugyeom could see were the colored blurs.

“So she’s not just your way of calling people, she helps you with magic.”

“She’s a familiar. What did you think she did?”

“I don’t know, I got magic like a week ago dude. How am I supposed to know anything?”

“Well familiars are a physical manifestation of a witch’s magic. Depending on what kind of magic the witch specializes in they can have different familiars. Jinyoung is essentially a sea witch, and he has an octopus as a familiar.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“No, I swear I’m not. He has a guest bathroom that he keeps exclusively for the octopus and when he goes to cast spells by the coast he takes Jacques with him in a bucket.”

“Jacques, as in Jacques Cousteau?”

“Exactly.”

Raymond came out of the back, cutting the conversation short. “Ah, good, you’re here Yugyeom. I’ve been looking over the gifts that the magical community left for you.”

“Nothing’s exploded?” Yugyeom didn’t think Raymond looked any worse for wear.

“No, nothing exploded.” The older man chuckled. “You’ve been given quite a few spell-books and a few magical plants, and a few charms. And Jackson informed me that your mother has taken custody of the house and its contents, so the jewelry box will have to go to you through the will.”

“Okay.” Yugyeom didn’t really want to think about his grandmother’s will reading, which he’d been informed by text on the way over was the next day. “So, we were just talking about familiars.”

“An interesting magical subject, to be sure.” Raymond sat on the floor with them. “Not every witch has one, but some of us are blessed with them.”

“Do you have one?” Yugyeom realized he didn’t know what kind of witch Raymond was.

“Yes. My magic isn’t quite as impressive as BamBam’s. I’m a polyglot, which makes reading archaic texts easier to be sure. My familiar is an owl; typically Athens stays at home unless it’s night time, and then he comes to hang out at the shop to accompany me home.”

“So I might not have a familiar.” Yugyeom was a little disappointed if he was honest.

“You might not. Your grandmother didn’t.” Raymond gestured at Pebbles. “I find Pebbles seems to like you quite a bit, and usually she only likes witches with familiars. With your magic just returning to you it’s possible that your familiar hasn’t manifested yet.”

Yugyeom nodded slowly. “Is there a way to make my magic work in little doses? I tried to fix someone’s cactus today and I made it bloom.”

“Practice makes perfect. Would you like to try your hand in the greenhouse?”

BamBam had to drive an exhausted Yugyeom home at midnight. Raymond had had Yugyeom practice on seedlings for hours; the plant witch was struggling with paring down his powers to work in concentrated doses. He’d made some grow exponentially large, had made some bloom, and had blown the soil off a very unfortunate planter box. The more he used his magic, the more he realized that he was connected to the earth itself, not just the plant life.

“Do you need help up the stairs?” BamBam asked when he pulled up to the apartment building. He’d sent the bike ahead, which had locked itself to the fence.

“Probably. My knees feel like jelly.” Yugyeom didn’t think he’d felt this drained in his whole life.

“Here.” BamBam pried one of his rings off his fingers and jammed it onto Yugyeom’s pinky. “Strength ring.”

Yugyeom did feel better as they got out of the car, but he didn’t object to BamBam’s helping arm around his waist.

“I should probably give you my phone number so you don’t have to keep sending Pebbles out for me.” Yugyeom said when they reached his apartment. “It’s hard to explain why a cat is waiting for me outside of work.” They exchanged phone numbers and Yugyeom returned the strength ring, his knees buckling him against the doorframe.

BamBam looked at him for a moment, and then conjured a small bouquet of gardenias. Yugyeom let out a whoop of surprised laughter as BamBam handed him the bouquet. He immediately stuffed his face into the blooms, inhaling their sweet scent.

“I thought you’d like those.” BamBam said with a grin. “Sleep tight, Gyeomie.” The pet name made Yugyeom’s crush on him just a little more powerful, and he couldn’t do anything but watch the other witch walk away towards his car.

\--

All anyone could see of Yugyeom were his legs. His torso was under his grandmother’s daisy bush as he tried, desperately, to get a hold of himself and make sense of the things he’d just heard.

Jackson, Yugyeom, and his parents had gathered with his grandmother’s lawyer to go over her will. Jackson had been gifted some jewelry and a nice chunk of money. He’d seemed pleased for the gift, even though he had cried through the whole will reading. It hadn’t occurred to Yugyeom just how close his grandmother’s nurse had been with her. Hyejin had loved him, and had even referred to Jackson as her other grandson. After Jackson, there had been a few notes about charities that his grandmother wanted taken care of. Yugyeom’s mother, her water helpfully spiked with Mark’s potion (that had been Jackson’s sleight of hand) had inherited her mother’s china, the jewelry in the red chest, and her silver.

Yugyeom had nearly passed out when he found out he had inherited everything else. The house, the contents of her library, her ancient car, and the brown chest of jewelry, everything was his. He’d nearly done a spit-take when the lawyer read out that section and had excused himself outside immediately after the will-reading was over.

So there he was, under the daisy bush, fingers burrowed into the grass, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. He’d been given so much all at once that he didn’t think he could deal with it all. 

As he took deep breaths of the damp, rich earth, and pressed his fingers close to the plants, he felt a little better. He also noticed when he opened his eyes that the daisy bush was looking quite a bit bigger than it had when he’d first laid down. Obviously he did not have a good handle on his magic when he was stressed out.

A pair of feet appeared in his vision, and then Jackson, face still tearstained, was crawling under the bush with him.

“How are you doing?” Jackson asked, settling on his back.

“I just…I can’t believe she left everything to me.” Yugyeom stared up at the yellow flowers, dim in the twilight. “I wasn’t that close with her the last few years. You spent more time with her than I did.”

“But you’re her blood, Yugyeom, the continuation of her magical line. Of course she left you her spell books and her charms.”

“But the house? The car?”

“She wanted you provided for. You may not have been with her physically but she talked about you all the time. She was proud of you. And you know, being a plant witch is going to take room. This yard, the greenhouse, the house, you’re going to need it.”

“I always loved that greenhouse.” Yugyeom said softly, looking over at the small structure. “She used to take me in when I was little and plant seedlings with me. She told me there was power in the dirt and in the water and the seed, but most of all in the way that I put it together.”

“She was training you for this, even though she couldn’t tell you.” Jackson squeezed his hand. “You’re going to be fine.”

“What about you?” Yugyeom looked at his red-rimmed eyes, his swollen nose.

“I loved her.” Jackson’s voice cracked a little. “My family isn’t that supportive of my…life choices. Hyejin was my family. I mean, the Tuans are amazing, but they’re Mark’s family. Hyejin was mine, in a small way.”

“I’m glad she was there for you.” Yugyeom chuckled. “I remember when I came out to her. She didn’t even bat an eyelash, just offered me some more tea.”

“Has no one told you she was a psychic?”

Yugyeom gaped at him. “No wonder she always knew when things were about to go haywire.”

“Yeah, she was a psychic. Pretty powerful one too, if Raymond’s estimation is anything to go by. So she probably knew that was coming.”

“I miss her.”

“I miss her, too. But as the proud grandsons of the scariest lady I’ve ever met, we gotta keep going.”

“Agreed.” They dusted themselves off and rejoined the group in the living room. Yugyeom’s father was poring over some documents when they came back in.

“Gyeomie, look at this.” He said, ushering his son over. He was looking at financial documents, that much Yugyeom could tell. It might as well have been written in Hebrew for all that he could understand of it.

“I don’t read accounting, dad.” Yugyeom said.

“Halmoni paid the house and the car off in full, so you’re not going to have to worry about car payments or anything like that, just the insurance.”

“That’s great.” It didn’t surprise him; his grandmother had always been incredibly practical. “So just the insurance and the regular utility bills?”

“Yeah, and for one person I don’t think they’ll be that high.” He clapped his son on the back. “You’re a house owner, Gyeomie.”

“Give me a few minutes to process that.” Yugyeom kind of felt like he was going to pass out again. He sat down heavily and Jackson disappeared into the kitchen, returning with a cup of tea.

“Compliments of Master Tuan.” He whispered as he handed Yugyeom the cup. It didn’t smell like anything other than Earl Grey, and thankfully didn’t taste like anything else, but he definitely felt calmer after drinking it.

So he owned a house, a library full of spell books, a box of charms, and a car. He’d inherited a lot of wealth from his grandmother, but maybe nothing as precious as the magic she’d taken from him. He didn’t think he could live without being able to hear the happy song of the daisies, the reserved roses, the gentle sway of the grass.

\--

“How did you manage to get that much shit into that tiny apartment?” Jungkook asked, his arm muscles bulging as he carried in yet another box from the U-Haul.

“I don’t know, it’s like it multiplied.” Yugyeom kind of wanted to lie down and die. They’d been moving his stuff all day and they hadn’t even started unpacking. Most of his grandmother’s stuff still needed to be sorted through, but he hadn’t had the time to do it yet. Between work and getting his things together, he hadn’t even thought about what he was going to do with his grandmother’s stuff yet. As he lay on the couch, he decided he would ask Jackson to help him go through it.

BamBam had texted him every night to ask him to come to the magic shop, and he’d been too busy to go and exhaust himself. No one could figure out why the sales system kept going down, and Taehyung had been breaking something in his laptop almost every day, tying up Jungkook from helping Seokjin and Yugyeom.

“I hate you so much. You’re driving me home.” Jungkook muttered, face first in the Persian rug.

“I promise.” Yugyeom groaned. “When I can feel my arms again.” How had he managed to accumulate so much shit?

“Ugh. Taehyung wanted to go get drinks tonight and I think I’m going to be too dead to do it.”

“Taehyung asked you out?” Yugyeom popped up off the couch like a Jack-in-the-box.

“He didn’t ask me out, really. He told me he’d buy me as much beer as I wanted to make up for all the work I’ve had to do on his laptop.”

“That’s still one-on-one time, dude. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want to get my hopes up.” Jungkook said in a very small voice.

“Kookie, come on.” Yugyeom nudged his best friend with his foot until he rolled over onto his back. “You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re ripped, you’re a great dancer. Why wouldn’t Taehyung like you?”

“I don’t know. He’s just so happy and positive all the time and I just…” Jungkook curled in on himself a little. “I feel like scrawny little Jungkook around him, you know?”

“You shouldn’t. We grew up man. There’s no reason that Taehyung shouldn’t be after your cute little ass.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you too, Kookie. Come on, I’ll drive you home so you can get yourself ready for the date.” Jungkook didn’t even argue, although he did comment that Yugyeom’s car smelled like weed and Vaporub. Yugyeom wondered if that was a magic thing or an old lady thing.

He was on his way back from Jungkook’s apartment when his phone rang, BamBam’s name flashing across the screen. He put it on speaker, settling it on his thigh so he wouldn’t get a ticket. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I thought you were going to be moving in all day today.” BamBam said.

“I am, I just took my friend home.”

“Okay. Are you going to be back at your house soon?”

“Yeah. BamBam, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. Pebbles and I came to help.”

Yugyeom softened a little. “I’ll be home in like ten minutes. See you soon.”

But when he got there, BamBam’s car wasn’t the only one parked on the curb. Yugyeom pulled into the garage and tiptoed into his living room, only to have his eardrums practically blasted out with a loud cry of “surprise!”

It seemed like every magical or magically affiliated person Yugyeom knew was in his living room. “What are you all doing here?” He asked, sort of dazed.

“We came to help you move in!” BamBam said. Pebbles chirped in agreement from his shoulder. “Magic can do it a lot faster than muscle.”

“You didn’t have to come.” Yugyeom was honestly so touched he was afraid he might cry. “Thank you all so much.”

“Let’s get to work, shall we?” Raymond said. Youngjae went to sweep the crawl space for small critters; Jinyoung and Jaebum went to tackle the kitchen. Raymond went to the library to make sure there wasn’t anything “lurking,” a phrase that worried Yugyeom a little. Mark and Jackson started on cleaning out the master bedroom; Jackson seemed to know where everything was and what had been important.

That left Yugyeom and BamBam alone to check on the greenhouse. It had become overgrown since Hyejin’s illness had prevented her from visiting it. Jackson hadn’t been allowed to go inside because of the magical nature of the plants.

When they opened the door and stepped inside, Yugyeom heard the plants sigh softly. He thought it was just his connection to the plants, but BamBam smiled.

“They know you.” He said, gesturing at the rows of plants.

“You heard that too?”

“It can happen when a witch magically protects a space. Probably she didn’t want your mom coming to poke around in here, so she made it so that only you could open the door. The plants know you.”

“Man, I didn’t think my life could get any weirder.” Yugyeom muttered. “This place needs some help.”

“Well, lucky for you, we’re both magic users.” BamBam set Pebbles down. “Go see if there are any creatures in here for Youngjae.” The cat scampered off and Yugyeom could hear her snuffling around under the plant beds.

“So where do we start?”

“If you’d been coming to the magic shop, I would have taught you how to start doing basic household spells.”

“I’ve been a little busy.”

“I know, which is why I’m going to help you now.” BamBam took Yugyeom’s hand in his; it tingled a little, which Yugyeom hoped was magic and not him being a total wimp about his crush. “How do you feel your magic?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean when you use it, how does it feel? Jinyoung told me he feels the waves around his legs.”

“My hands buzz.” He grimaced. “No, it’s more like a hum. It comes from my head and spreads down my back and down my arms.”

“Try and make the hum.”

It was hard to focus with BamBam holding his hand. At first, he tried too hard to consciously pull it up. But it was like moving his hand: thinking it wouldn’t make it move. He had to just move it. And he felt the hum slip down his spine, tingle into his fingers.

“Got it.” He murmured, eyes half closed.

“Direct it. Clear the cobwebs.” BamBam’s lips brushed against his ear and Yugyeom almost lost it, barely managing to hold onto the hum in his fingertips. He swept his hand towards the cobwebs that had formed in the peak of the greenhouse and they fell in silky strands. Everything seemed to have gone fine until Yugyeom got too excited with himself and accidentally fired off some magic at a nearby plant. It bloomed, filling the air with a heady perfume.

Yugyeom swore. “That happens all the time.”

“It’s fine, you’re still learning. Let’s get to work.” BamBam had a much easier time of it. Yugyeom felt like he was trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube. Every motion took so much control that his teeth hurt by the time the greenhouse was neat and tidy again.

“I wish I knew what these are.” Yugyeom said when they were finished, gesturing at the rows of plants.

“I’m sure Hyejin kept a record of what she had, and Raymond says you got some flora textbooks. You’ll be working with them soon enough.”

“I feel stunted.”

“Hyejin must have had her reasons for keeping the magic from you. You’ll catch up quickly, I think.” BamBam whistled, and Pebbles reappeared, what looked like a mouse tail hanging from her mouth. “Pebbles! You were supposed to leave the mice for Youngjae to clear out!” The cat managed to look sheepish.

“Let’s see what the others have gotten into.” Yugyeom was kind of worried that they’d gone through all his things.

They hadn’t, thankfully. Jinyoung and Jaebum had sorted his kitchen out, mixing his things in with his grandmother’s. They’d also culled some things that they didn’t think he’d want (prunes) and things that were magical (a bottle of witches brew). Yugyeom excused himself to the bathroom to avoid looking at the living room.

He was in the middle of peeing when he realized there was water in his bathtub. He peeked over the edge and screamed so loudly it echoed through the whole house. He barely had the presence of mind to cover his exposed dick with his hand before Raymond burst through the door.

“What’s the matter?” He asked, rushing to Yugyeom’s side. Unable to form words, Yugyeom just pointed into the bathtub. Raymond peered in, then sighed. “Jinyoung, I told you not to put Jacques in here without telling him!”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” Jinyoung poked his head in the bathroom. “I’ll come take him out if you want.”

“He-he can stay.” Yugyeom really just wanted everyone out of the bathroom. “I need a minute.”

“Oh. Sure.” Raymond shooed the others away from the door and shut it behind him. Yugyeom flushed the toilet and sat down on the closed lid, trying to calm himself. He peeked into the bathtub at the blanched white octopus curled in the corner.

“So you’re Jacques I guess.” Yugyeom couldn’t believe he was talking to an octopus. “I’m Yugyeom. Sorry I scared you.” Slowly, as if in response to his words, the octopus returned to his deep, reddish color.

On shaky legs, Yugyeom got up and washed his hands and walked out to the living room.

“I’m really sorry, Yugyeom. I forgot he was in there.” Jinyoung said, helpfully passing him a cup of witches brew. Yugyeom drained it in one long gulp.

“Thanks. I was just startled. I think I’m used to Pebbles and seeing an octopus outside a seafood restaurant was just a little much.”

Jinyoung looked a little offended; Yugyeom didn’t care. Mark and Jackson had helpfully changed the sheets on the bed, replacing his grandmother’s duvet with the one he usually slept under. They’d also cordoned off a section of clothes that BamBam was magically folding into open boxes.

“I really appreciate all of this.” Yugyeom said, sitting cross legged on his bed.

“It’s nothing, really.” Mark said with a smile. “Seunie, you should get him set up.”

Jackson looked up from the jewelry chest he was sorting through. “I think I’ve got a good set here.” He carried the chest over to the bed, setting it down heavily between them. “I know you’re not used to wearing jewelry, but these will help a lot.”

“What do all these do?” Yugyeom looked over the array of bracelets and rings that Jackson had selected for him.

“This is amber, it’s for psychic protection.” Jackson slipped the ring onto Yugyeom’s pointer finger. “This one is garnet, for health and a cheery disposition.” A second ring, on his ring finger of his right hand. “Obsidian, for luck and centering.” That bracelet went around the same wrist as the malachite bracelet.

“These aren’t stones.” Yugyeom commented, poking at the rest of the pile.

“No, these are runes. Think of them as constantly working spells.” Bracelets inscribed with runes for strength, clear-headedness, and energy joined the pile on Yugyeom’s other wrist. “This one is Hyejin’s family ring.” It was a small, rough green stone wrapped in silver wire on top of a ring. “It should fit your finger, it’s tied to your bloodline.” It slid onto Yugyeom’s ring finger perfectly, the metal instantly warming to his skin.

“Two more things.” Mark said, joining them on the bed. He undid a chain from around his neck, revealing a small pendant with a deep red stone in the middle. “Tuan family magic. BamBam and my father have one, too. You may be Hyejin’s blood but you’re ours now too.”

“Thank you.” Yugyeom fastened it around his neck. “And the other thing?”

“You’ll have to take out your earrings.” BamBam waited as Yugyeom deposited the small studs he wore into the jewelry chest. It was oddly intimate to have someone put earrings in for him, and even worse that it was BamBam. He’d never thought that his ears were particularly sensitive but he was practically a puddle by the time BamBam was done fastening the silver hoops in his ears.

“What do these do?” Yugyeom asked, touching the small hoop gently. He could feel etching under his fingertip.

“Those are for luck. They came from my family.” BamBam took a step back, looking him over. “There. You look like a real witch.”

Yugyeom stood up to see himself in the mirror. He looked a little ridiculous, but he wasn’t used to the charms yet. The earrings felt the most natural to him, after the family ring. It felt right for him to wear that. “Thank you, all of you.”

“You’re ours now, Yugyeom. Magic is just as powerful as blood.” Mark hugged him and Yugyeom got a taste of what having a big brother might be like.

Raymond pronounced Yugyeom’s library to be clean of any lurking nasties, as he put it. Youngjae had coaxed a family of skunks out from under the house to a safer location. Most of Yugyeom’s things had been sorted into the house, thanks to BamBam’s effectiveness as a house witch. The others ribbed him for it, but Yugyeom appreciated it. They all split the bottle of witches brew and enjoyed the effervescent drink in the newly clean greenhouse.

Yugyeom was glad when they all left, as much as he had appreciated their company. He needed some time to sleep and be by himself in his grandmother’s house, no, his house. He had just tucked himself into bed when he found a gardenia hidden under one of his pillows. He smiled, holding it to his nose. BamBam was either the nicest person he’d ever met, or he was hitting on Yugyeom.

\--

Yugyeom woke up in a cold sweat and immediately had to go throw up. He heaved and heaved until there was nothing left in his stomach, then collapsed on the cool tile floor to wait out the tremors. He thought they would pass, but he had to get up to throw up again before he had stopped shaking.

When he’d been throwing up for nearly an hour on end he started to panic. This couldn’t be normal. He crawled across the floor to get his phone and had to rush back to the bathroom to be sick again. The bile stung his throat horribly.

He didn’t think he should call 911, not for vomiting. But Jackson might know what to do. He held the phone limply in one hand as it rang, praying that he would respond.

“Yugyeom? Why are you up so early?” Jackson yawned into the phone.

“I’ve been throwing up for like an hour.” Yugyeom wheezed out. “I can’t stop shaking, nothing’s coming up but bile.”

“Do you have a fever?” There was Jackson’s nurse voice, all business.

“I don’t think so. I mostly just feel cold and sweaty.”

“Any abdominal pain?”

“Just from the puking.”

“Okay, I’m going to come over and check on you. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.” Jackson told him to try having some water before he hung up.

By the time Jackson got there, Yugyeom had managed to crawl back into his bedroom to grab a blanket from the bed so he didn’t have to kneel on the hard tile to keep heaving. Jackson had come with a full medical kit. He took his blood pressure, checked his heart rate, took his temperature. Everything was normal, except that Yugyeom couldn’t stop getting sick.

“Here, this is going to taste bad, just try to chew it and get it down as fast as you can.” Jackson coaxed a small tablet between Yugyeom’s lips. It tasted like artificial strawberry, and according to Jackson it was a medication they gave to cancer patients so they could stop throwing up.

It lasted all of ten minutes before Yugyeom threw it up. Then Jackson tried one of Mark’s anti-nausea potions, which also didn’t work.

“I’ll be right back. Just keep getting it out.” Jackson left Yugyeom inside the bathroom, stepping just outside to make a phone call. Yugyeom barely heard it. His whole body felt like nothing but bones, like all the life had been sucked out of him. It dimly occurred to him that he’d have to call out of work, but that was a problem for later when he could actually look at his phone. He didn’t even know what time it was.

In no time at all, Raymond and BamBam were both at the house, watching as Yugyeom painfully and weakly heaved up the little bit of water he’d tried to drink.

“It’s not a reaction to the charms, it’s been too long. And he’s had magical and non-magical remedies and he can’t hold it down.” Jackson murmured worriedly to Raymond.

“That’s because what’s happening to him has to happen.” Raymond’s heart hurt looking at Yugyeom, the boy he’d come to consider as one of his sons. BamBam was on his knees next to him, rubbing his back gently.

“What is this? Is it some magical thing?” Jackson hated being helpless.

“I’ve read about this, but never to this degree.” Raymond stepped outside the bathroom with Jackson, shutting the door behind them. “His familiar is trying to manifest but it’s fighting his body as it does. Most witches get their familiars as pre-teens, when their magic is starting to come into itself. It’s more a part of puberty than a violent illness.”

“But Yugyeom’s been on a fast track with his magic, right?”

“It’s only been a month since Hyejin died, but he’s been using his magic at a high volume. He can’t control it yet.” Raymond scrubbed a hand over his weary face. “He’s going to have to weather this storm. There’s no stopping it or hurrying it through.”

“You mean there’s nothing I can do for him?”

“The most we can do is wait. His familiar will manifest when it’s ready to. In the meantime, I’m going to leave BamBam with him. He can watch over him and he’ll send Athens if something goes downhill.”

“I hate this.”

“I know, son, I know. It hurts my heart to see him like that too.” He patted Jackson on the shoulder. “Go home, get ready for the day. We can handle it from here.”

Jackson left BamBam and Raymond alone with Yugyeom, who was nearly as white as the tiles, half propped in BamBam’s lap.

“Gyeomie? Can you hear me?” Raymond asked, kneeling by his head. Yugyeom nodded weakly. “I’m so sorry that this hurts so badly. I wish I could make it go away. But your familiar is trying to manifest and your body is fighting it. It’s a process that’s going to have to happen.”

“Getting Pebbles wasn’t like this.” BamBam hissed.

“No, because you got Pebbles when you were thirteen. She manifested at a normal rate. Yugyeom is on the fast track and unfortunately it hurts.” Raymond petted his damp hair back. “You’re going to be fine Gyeomie, I promise. BamBam will watch over you, and Athens will come get me if anything gets worse.”

“”Kay.” Yugyeom wanted to die. Raymond kissed his forehead gently and left. So it was just BamBam (nearing tears), Yugyeom (weak and puking) and the two familiars. Athens took perch on the dresser, his feathers fluffing out as he watched BamBam half-drag Yugyeom back to bed. Pebbles curled up at Yugyeom’s feet, not even reacting when he weakly retched into the bucket BamBam had conjured for him. The older boy just held him in his lap, feeling the tremors in Yugyeom’s shoulders. Everything seemed to hurt him.

Around noon, he managed to keep down some water, even as his temperature started to go up. He was hovering just at 101, too warm for BamBam’s liking, but not enough to fry his brain just yet. BamBam kept up a stream of useless chatter, just to keep Yugyeom semi-alert.

“Athens is a great horned owl, that’s why he has such big feathers on the top of his head. I don’t think you’re having an owl. Maybe you’ll have a cat, like me. Definitely not an octopus, or a bat, or the rabbit that I think is Youngjae’s familiar. It’s hard to tell with an animal witch, every animal he meets could be a familiar.”

“I think I’m having a snake. My guts are all twisted up.” Yugyeom mumbled.

“No, not a snake. You’re too soft for a snake, Gyeomie.” BamBam hated watching him like this, hated not being able to do anything to help him. In a fit of inspiration, he conjured a flock of butterflies. Youngjae had told him once that they were supposed to be called a kaleidoscope of butterflies, and it kind of made sense watching them flitting around the room. Athens and Pebbles both looked like they wanted to hunt, but were holding back. “Gyeomie, look.” BamBam nudged him until he opened his eyes.

“Oh god, my familiar isn’t butterflies is it?” He moaned.

“No, I made them for you.”

“They’re pretty.” Yugyeom watched through half-open eyes as they fluttered around the room. BamBam let them go, feeling deflated. That hadn’t helped at all.

The day wore on, and Yugyeom managed to hold down water and tea, but his fever wouldn’t break. The afternoon sun was casting shadows across the bedroom when it happened.

Yugyeom jerked straight upright, startling BamBam, who had nearly fallen asleep. At first he thought Yugyeom was going to be sick, until his neck cracked to the left, and then the right.

“Athens, go get Raymond!” BamBam called, and the owl took off out the open window. Yugyeom was making a wheezing noise, upright on his knees. Pebbles had shot under the bed as soon as he’d gotten up. When BamBam put his hand on Yugyeom’s back, he could feel his heart fluttering like a hummingbird in his chest.

Yugyeom thought that the light in the room had gone vaguely green, and then realized he was glowing. He fell forwards onto his belly, gave one final retch, and lay still.

BamBam had heard something hit the floor at the foot of the bed and leaned over it carefully. A pair of fierce green eyes stared back, bared teeth aimed right at him.

“Easy. Nice doggy.” BamBam shook Yugyeom’s shoulder. “Gyeomie. Gyeomie wake up.”

“Nuh.” Yugyeom groaned. The dog, no it was definitely a wolf, growled at BamBam.

“Yugyeom your wolf is going to eat me if you don’t wake up.”

“Nuh.” Yugyeom let one arm flop over the edge of the bed. The wolf licked his hand and nudged it with its nose.

When Raymond showed up, BamBam had backed as far onto the bed as he could, Pebbles safely collected in his lap. The wolf was pacing the perimeter of the bed and snapped at him every time he tried to get off or tried to check on Yugyeom.

“Good Lord, what happened here?” Raymond said from the doorway. The wolf bared its teeth. “He had a wolf?”

“Apparently so. And he won’t wake up so the wolf is in panic mode.” BamBam felt like piano wire, strung so tight he might snap.

“He’ll wake up when he can. Manifesting that must have been rough on him.” Raymond watched as the wolf whined and bumped Yugyeom’s face with its nose.

Finally Yugyeom opened his eyes and came face to face with the wolf. “Good girl,” he whispered, and kissed her nose. She seemed pleased with that and sat obediently next to him. “Bammie?”

“I’m here.” BamBam edged closer, and this time the wolf let him. “Are you okay?”

“I feel like I got run over by a truck. Is this my familiar?”

“I think it is.”

“She’s beautiful.” Yugyeom reached out a hand and the wolf bumped her head against it. “What do I name her?”

“What feels right to you?” Raymond asked.

Yugyeom thought about the flora books he’d been studying, of herbs of protection. Bergamot, black cohosh, carob, juniper, mandrake. And he looked at the wolf that was looking at him with a very doglike grin and pronounced, “Ivy.”

“Ivy is a beautiful name for her.” Raymond felt a sense of paternal pride that Yugyeom had made it through manifesting such a large familiar.

“Ivy, these are my friends. Be nice. I’m tired.” Yugyeom managed to pet her ears once more before his limbs gave out. BamBam and Raymond were able to move him to a more comfortable position, although Ivy supervised very carefully. She also curled up next to him, taking up the other half of the bed, her cold nose pressed against the back of Yugyeom’s neck.

“He should be through the worst of it now.” Raymond told BamBam in the hallway. “I’m going to have Jackson come take another look at him.”

“You better tell him that he birthed a wolf so he doesn’t die of a heart attack when he gets here.” BamBam still couldn’t believe he had witnessed someone manifesting a familiar. It was a fairly private practice, at least from what he’d heard. Pebbles had been born in the middle of the night. It had been hard explaining to his mom why he suddenly had a cat that followed him everywhere, but she’d been prepared for this. His father had left her a lot of information about what magic their kids might grow up to have.

Jackson was still surprised to see a huge wolf curled up in bed with Yugyeom, but she let him do his examination without snarling or snapping. Jackson pronounced Yugyeom to be in good health, with the exception of his dehydration and exhaustion.

Jackson was about to dial Mark’s number to say he was staying overnight when BamBam interrupted him. “I’ll stay.”

“Are you sure?” Jackson asked, finger still poised over the “call” button.

“Yeah. I might not be a nurse but I can get him to drink water.” BamBam glanced at Yugyeom, half-awake and breathing weakly. “I can take care of him.”

“Okay.” Jackson left him with instructions; Raymond left with a knowing look that made BamBam’s ears turn red. BamBam and Pebbles went back into the bedroom. Ivy pricked up her ears, but didn’t lunge at them. Pebbles jumped on the bed and curled up next to the larger familiar, a loud purr picking up immediately. Ivy nudged her head with her nose.

“Well at least you like each other.” BamBam muttered, easing himself under Yugyeom. The younger boy’s eyes fluttered open.

“I thought Jackson was staying.” Yugyeom mumbled.

“No, I sent him home. It’s just us.” BamBam propped him up on one arm and held the glass of water to his lips. “Drink slowly.”

Yugyeom wanted to guzzle the water down, but even the little trickles made his wrung-out stomach hurt. So he let BamBam gently pour the water into his mouth and didn’t argue.

The hard part was getting Ivy to move over on the bed to let BamBam get more comfortable. The wolf didn’t want to move until Yugyeom told her to go.

“I can see she’s going to be headstrong.” BamBam commented as they shifted over.

“She’s mine.” Yugyeom’s voice was filled with wonder, his fingers tangling in the wolf’s fur. “She’s my familiar.”

“And she’s beautiful.”

Yugyeom would blame this sentence on delirium later. He looked up at BamBam and said, “Not half as beautiful as you.”

\--

It took another day for Yugyeom to recover from his illness. Seokjin had nearly ripped out his hair when Yugyeom had called in for the second day in a row, but when he saw the younger man at work he understood.

“Jesus, are you sure you should even be here?” Seokjin asked, pushing Yugyeom’s bangs out of his face so he could feel his forehead.

“I’m fine, I just look like death.” Yugyeom shooed him away weakly. Jungkook looked put out.

“Why didn’t you call me man? I would have come over and taken care of you.”

Yugyeom chose his words carefully. “I didn’t want to risk getting you sick. My grandmother’s nurse checked in on me.” He fired up his desktop, feeling the weakness in his arms still. Manifesting Ivy had taken a lot out of him. Trying to get her to stay at home had been even harder. She’d wanted to come with him; Yugyeom had a feeling that she sensed he was still weak and wanted to keep an eye on him.

Taehyung came up to the tech area for the first time in a week (he’d been on a trip with the other graphic designers) and immediately zeroed in on the jewelry Yugyeom was wearing. His eyes widened a little, his eyebrows inching towards the scarf around his forehead. Yugyeom felt the blood drain out of his face.

Taehyung smiled and Yugyeom felt calm slide over him like a blanket. It was so sudden that Yugyeom almost slumped down in his chair.

“Hey Tae.” Jungkook said, noticing his arrival. “What’s up?”

“There’s something buggy with the designing program and I’m afraid to poke at it.” Taehyung handed over his laptop to Jungkook.

“Hey, Kookie, I’m gonna get some coffee. You want anything?” Yugyeom asked, getting up to leave them alone.

“Nah I’m good.” Jungkook was already focused on the screen.

“I’ll come with.” Taehyung bounced along behind Yugyeom like a chipper Grim Reaper. At least, that’s what it felt like to Yugyeom.

As soon as they were in the kitchen, Taehyung grabbed his forearm. “You’re a witch!” He said. Yugyeom glanced at the hand on his arm and recognized the strength rune on one of his rings.

“So are you.” Yugyeom sounded dumbfounded.

“I didn’t think I’d ever meet another witch in a corporate setting.” Taehyung was practically vibrating with happiness and it was infectious. “I mean, I thought you or Jungkook had to be one when my cactus came back with a flower on it. Are you a healer?”

“Plant witch. Well, we think I’m a plant witch. It seems like I have other connections to the earth.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows furrowed. “You mean you don’t know?”

“I only came into my gifts about a month ago.” Yugyeom shook his head. “It’s a long story.”

“You can tell me about it some other time.”

“So what are you?”

“I’m a harmonizer.” This time Yugyeom looked confused. “I can manipulate my environment to reflect a certain mood.”

“You calmed me down.”

“Well you looked like I was about to put you in the Salem witch trials.” Taehyung laughed. “Let me get your number, I should introduce you to my witch friends.”

“Um. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

Yugyeom was certain he was breaking some kind of bro code and definitely going to bro hell. “Kookie really likes you. And he’s my best friend and I think he’d be weirded out if we were hanging out.”

“Does he not know?”

“I haven’t told him yet. I don’t want him to freak.”

“Oh.” Taehyung frowned. “I was going to tell him, but I won’t out you if you don’t want me to.”

“You mean you were just gonna drop it on him?”

Taehyung blushed just a little. “I was going to ask him on a date.”

If Yugyeom had had the strength, he would have done a victory dance. “That’s great. You can tell him if you want, I’m…not ready to yet.”

“Totally understandable.” Taehyung rubbed Yugyeom’s shoulder and he felt a little calmer. “But you should still be around other people like you, if you’re just getting into the craft. And I should definitely take you to Tuan and Sons, that place is like, the Mecca for witches.”

Yugyeom laughed. “Raymond actually has been helping me get adjusted to my gift.”

“Really? That’s great!” They traded numbers and returned (with coffee) to Jungkook, who was tapping away at the keys on Taehyung’s laptop.

“Made any progress yet?” Taehyung asked, draping himself over the back of Jungkook’s chair. Yugyeom nearly choked on his coffee at the way Jungkook was blushing.

“A little.” Jungkook managed to say. Yugyeom slipped away to the bathroom to give them a little privacy. He splashed some cool water on his face, trying not to look too carefully at the purple veins spiderwebbing under his eyes and the way his skin was clinging to the bone. He looked like Skeletor, slightly and poorly revived.

His phone buzzed with a text. Fishing out his phone, he saw it was from BamBam.

_How are you feeling today?_

Yugyeom flushed a little red, thinking of how BamBam had taken care of him while he was sick. He’d spent the whole day nursing Yugyeom, doing different conjuring tricks to cheer him up. Ivy had taken to him almost immediately when she realized he wasn’t a threat. Raymond had theorized that she sensed BamBam’s power and thought he might hurt Yugyeom.

The only way BamBam would hurt him is if he took the beautiful comment the wrong way. Yugyeom had already planned on blaming it on his illness if he was confronted about it. His horrid little crush was better left unexamined.

 _Better_. He typed back.

_Well enough for magic work?_

_Please don’t make me tonight._ Yugyeom didn’t think he had the energy reserves to get through magic practice and be able to go to work tomorrow.

 _Fine. Pebbles and I will come over and keep you company then._ Yugyeom kind of wished that he was dead.

 _Okay. See you after work._ Yugyeom stuffed his phone back into his pocket and shuffled back out to his desk. Taehyung and the laptop were gone, and Jungkook looked practically aglow.

“He asked me out.” He squeaked as soon as Yugyeom was in hearing range. “He asked me out!”

“That’s great Kookie!” Yugyeom got sent to help the finance department set up a conference call, even though he’d helped them do it more than once and he was sure they were just too lazy to do it themselves. As excited as he was to go home and see Ivy, he did not want to be alone with BamBam again. He was sure he was going to say something stupid and ruin everything.

It was very nice, he decided, to lie out on the grass in the evening, his head pillowed on Ivy’s side. She was asleep or just holding still for him. In the cool air, with the smell of the neighbor’s blooming jasmine plant, he was in heaven.

He didn’t even realize what he was doing until he heard a car door slam and he was shocked out of his trance. Everything in his garden had grown exponentially. His orange tree was heavy with fruit, the roses were blooming in full force. The daisy bush had almost taken over a wall.

“Shit.” Yugyeom muttered, sitting up. Ivy nudged his arm with her nose until he lifted his arm and let her rest her head in his lap. He dug his fingers into the grass, wishing that he could take it back for once. One hand in the grass, the other on Ivy’s head, he felt the hum traveling back up his arm, and with a sigh the garden responded. They shrank back to their regular size, even though the fragrance of the roses still hung heavy in the air and there was a whole crop of oranges on the grass.

“I thought you might be back here.” BamBam said as he unlocked the side fence with magic.

“I did it!” Yugyeom jumped to his feet and immediately regretted it, swaying slightly. Ivy propped him up. “I accidentally blew everything up and I pulled it back!”

“That’s great!” BamBam hugged him. “Having Ivy is going to make it a lot easier to control your magic, I think.”

“You mean, she-?” Yugyeom gaped at the wolf sitting docilely at his side. “Did you do that?”

“Aren’t they wonderful?” He reached up to pet Pebbles, who butted her head against his ear. “Getting Pebbles was the best day of my life.”

“Well, having Ivy was rough on me.”

“I know. You should be inside resting, but I guess being out here could be good for you too.” BamBam sat down and tugged Yugyeom to lie down in the grass again. Both of them stared up at the pink tinged clouds, enjoying the quiet calm.

Then a bunch of daffodils landed on Yugyeom’s chest. He smiled when he saw them; daffodils had always been his favorite. “They’re beautiful.” He said, turning to BamBam.

“Not half as beautiful as you.” Yugyeom cringed at his words being turned back on him. “Gyeomie, come on. Are we going to stop doing this dance?”

“What dance?”

BamBam huffed. “The dance where we pretend that we aren’t interested in each other, even though we clearly are.” He propped his head up on his hand.

Yugyeom hid his face in the bunch of daffodils. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course I do. Have I ever been anything but honest with you?”

“No.”

“Then let me kiss you.” Gentle hands pushed the daffodils to the side, and then BamBam was kissing him. Yugyeom had never kissed anyone with such nice lips before. It was a pleasant change, especially when BamBam threaded his fingers in his hair and held him closer.

When they finally pulled apart, the air was filled with small, shimmering lights. “Did you make those?” Yugyeom asked.

“No, that was all you.” BamBam smiled. “You are an earth witch.”

“I’ve never seen fireflies before.” Yugyeom watched the swarm raptly as they flittered around his garden. Pebbles crept away to stalk them, eventually catching one and bringing a wiggling firefly back to BamBam, who set it free. Pebbles looked put out.

“We should go inside before the mosquitos eat us alive.” BamBam said when the sun had fully set.

“In a second. I want to try something.” Yugyeom gathered the bunch of daffodils and found a patch of bare earth next to the daisy bush. Ivy padded up next to him, her cold nose on the back of his neck. He dug in the soft, damp earth with his fingers and stood the daffodils up in the hole. “Grow,” he said softly. And they did. He could feel them take root.

“You’re learning so quickly.” BamBam sounded proud. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

\--

“Gyeomie, are you ready yet?” BamBam called, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

“You have got to be kidding me, Bam! No one dresses like this!” Yugyeom’s voice was muffled from the bedroom door. Ivy butted the door with her head and whined.

“Witches dress like this, and we’re going to a witch bar. Now come on, we’re going to be late!”

“I will not go outside my house like this!”

“Gyeomie…” BamBam heaved himself up off the couch and shoved the door open. Yugyeom squawked indignantly, but the other man was already there. Slowly, Yugyeom let his arms drop down to his sides.

“I look like a gigolo.” Yugyeom didn’t like the clothes, but he kind of liked the way BamBam was looking at him.

“That’s an heirloom you’re wearing.” BamBam said in a low voice, advancing slowly towards Yugyeom. “And I might be about to ruin it.”

“We’re not supposed to.” Yugyeom whined. As soon as Raymond had found out the two of them were dating, he’d told them they couldn’t have sex. Yugyeom’s magic was too sporadic and uncontrolled and Raymond was afraid they might accidentally blow something up. So they’d been having to keep things very PG-13 but the way BamBam was looking at him was very XXX.

“I know, babe.” BamBam sighed, resting his forehead on Yugyeom’s. “You look so good. I know you think it’s weird but you do.”

Yugyeom shifted BamBam to rest on his shoulder, looking at them both in the mirror. He had stuffed himself into a pair of leather pants that laced up the side, revealing a strip about an inch wide on either side of his legs. The dark silk shirt had to have been Mark’s, otherwise it wouldn’t have fit him. And to top it off, BamBam had presented him with a silver fox fur duster, the inside lined with wine colored silk. BamBam was wearing identical pants, a white silk button down, and a military style coat embroidered with roaring tigers that moved.

“We look good.” BamBam murmured, tracing his full lips across Yugyeom’s throat. He shuddered, his grip on the older man’s waist tightening. “I don’t want to go out.”

“We’re going to die from blue balls if we stay here.” Yugyeom’s voice was shaky, but he still managed to untangle their bodies. “We should go.”

It was weird to load Ivy into the back of the car, but she and Pebbles curled up happily in the bench seat. Yugyeom followed BamBam’s directions to the bar; Taehyung had invited him that day at work, out of Jungkook’s earshot. Jungkook didn’t know either of them were witches yet, although he had been informed about Yugyeom’s new boyfriend. Taehyung was supposed to take him on a date this weekend and tell him everything, and then Yugyeom would have to decide when he was ready to out himself.

But that was a problem for another time. They parked in a dilapidated parking lot next to an ugly warehouse. As they walked towards the door, Yugyeom felt the slightest tingle. He was getting better at recognizing spells, thanks to Raymond’s diligent training. “Is that a barrier spell?” Yugyeom asked as BamBam opened the door.

“Keeps the non-magical folk out. They might get hurt in here.” BamBam led him down a flight of stairs. The steps were black stone with flecks of gold and opal imbedded in it. They sparkled beautifully in the light of the lanterns. The stairs opened into the bar’s main room, a huge sprawling room with sunken areas with tables and soft cushions.

“How are we supposed to find Taehyung in here?” Yugyeom muttered, surveying the crowded room.

“You can do it. Feel for him.”

Yugyeom felt most comfortable using his earth magic. Anything that required a spell or just raw power didn’t always turn out well. It had been going better since he’d gotten Ivy, but he still had a tendency to blow things up.

But he braced himself, and he searched for the way Taehyung felt, the way that Raymond and BamBam had taught him in a game of hide and seek through the magic shop. It only really worked at close range, but he felt the bright spike of light over in the corner. “There.”

So they worked their way through the crowd, Pebbles on BamBam’s shoulder and Ivy at Yugyeom’s side. It was relieving to see that he and BamBam were not the most ostentatiously dressed: Taehyung looked like he’d made a shirt and pants out of the colorful scarves he wore frequently, another man was dressed entirely in black leather and velvet, and the third was wearing so much pink he looked like cotton candy had vomited on him. Yugyeom felt like vomiting from nerves.

“Yugyeom! There you are!” Taehyung leapt up and hugged him. “Oh, beautiful coat.”

“Thanks, it’s uh, an heirloom.” Yugyeom introduced BamBam, and then they went down the few steps to the sunken seating area. Black and Pink were snuggled up together lazily on one big pillow. BamBam pulled Yugyeom down onto another, keeping tight hold of his hand.

It wasn’t until the light shifted that Yugyeom realized he recognized the man in black. “You were at my grandmother’s funeral.”

Black looked up, sleepy eyes peeking through overgrown bangs. “You’re Hyejin’s grandson?”

“Yeah.” Yugyeom extended a free hand. “Yugyeom.”

“Yoongi.” His hands were cold. His bat familiar fluttered down from the rafters to take roost in his hair again. “BamBam I already know, or know of. Jackson and Namjoon gossip a lot.”

“Jackson never did know how to not be a gossip.” BamBam chuckled. “He told me you’re a night witch?”  

“Guilty. And you’re a conjuror.” Yoongi turned his eyes back to Yugyeom. “Plant witch?”

“We think earth witch. I’m still getting the hang of it.” Yugyeom felt like pulling the coat over his head and hiding.

“This is Jimin, my partner.” Yoongi leaned back so the man in pink could wave. “Don’t get too close to him.”

“Yoongi!” Taehyung scolded. “When you say it like that you sound possessive.”

“Maybe I am.” Yoongi grinned and the light reflected off his teeth in an odd way.

Jimin just rolled his eyes. “I’m a love mage. My magic just kind of…leaks, I guess. I can’t really help it.” Jimin leaned his head back. “Aejong! Come down here.” An orange, yellow, and green bird fluttered down and landed on his shoulder.

“A lovebird.” BamBam grinned. “Perfectly fitting.” Yugyeom started to get up. “Where are you going?”

“To get a drink. Do you want anything?” Yugyeom asked. The others stared at him like he had three heads.

“You don’t go get it.” Taehyung said in the same tone that Jungkook used to explain technical stuff to him. “You use magic.” He demonstrated what he meant. Yugyeom stared helplessly at the table. BamBam slipped his fingers through his.

“We’ll do it together.” BamBam murmured. “One, two, three.” Two glasses of witches brew appeared on the table and nothing blew up. Yugyeom sighed in relief.

“You really can’t control your magic, can you?” Yoongi asked. Yugyeom was ninety percent sure that the cross dangling from his ear was made of bone.

“I only got it when my grandmother passed away. I’m not in full control yet.” Yugyeom really wished he’d declined the invitation to come tonight.

“You’ll get there. Everyone has trouble at first.” Jimin leaned over, the mess of pendants on his chest clacking as he did. “When I was thirteen, I accidentally made half the class fall in love with me. That was an absolute disaster, they started fighting each other. My parents had to pull me out of school for a week.”

“So far I’ve just made some plants shoot up, and a few things have exploded.” Yugyeom decided he liked Jimin better, if only because Yoongi’s eyes were so unsettling. _Night witch_ , he reminded himself.

A look crossed Taehyung’s face. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you two been dating?”

“A couple weeks?” Yugyeom glanced at BamBam to confirm. It felt like longer.

“How much has exploded since then?” Taehyung’s cheeks were bright red and Yugyeom didn’t think it had anything to do with whatever he was drinking.

“Well, I blew up the bathtub trying to clean it last week.” Yugyeom didn’t realize what he was asking until BamBam cleared his throat delicately.

“If you’re asking about our sex life, don’t.” BamBam knew it was a valid concern. The less control Yugyeom had, the more likely it was that he would have some kind of magical accident. That didn’t mean he wanted to discuss it with strangers. Raymond was one thing; this group was entirely different.

The awkward silence was cut short by the arrival of an orange-haired witch, a black dog at his heels. They looked like Halloween.

“Hoseok! Glad you could make it!” Taehyung was the first to hug him. Once he’d greeted the others, Hoseok sat across from BamBam and Yugyeom on another cushion, his dog curled up at his feet.

“You must be Tae’s friend. He hasn’t shut up about you since he found out you were a witch.” Hoseok laughed, leaning across the table to shake hands.

“Yeah, I’m Yugyeom.” Yugyeom shook his hand. “He’s also trying to date my best friend, so he should be in my good graces.”

Hoseok laughed, a loud uproarious sound. Yugyeom liked him immediately. “I’ve heard about Jungkook too. And you work at Tuan and Sons, right?”

“Yeah. I’m one of the sons, technically.” BamBam shrugged.

“Nice, nice. Which one of you does the wolf belong to?”

“She’s mine. Her name is Ivy.” Yugyeom rubbed her ears affectionately.

“Tae told me you were a plant witch.” Hoseok looked at him carefully. “I think he’s wrong. Earth witch.”

“That’s what we’re thinking.” Yugyeom said. “What about you?”

“My power isn’t as impressive or active as the rest of yours. I’m a spirit witch, a medium.” Hoseok shrugged. “As far as powers go, it’s a pretty good one. Ghosts know a lot.”

“Hoseok and Yoongi used to work at a cemetery together.” Taehyung interjected.

“I had to quit. Too many voices at once.” Hoseok shook his head. “Yoongi can manage, but I can’t deal with the noise.”

“I get enough of it with Jimin, I’m used to it.” Yoongi said, even as he cuddled Jimin into his side.

“Is Namjoon coming tonight?” Hoseok asked.

“Uhh…I told him not to.” Taehyung made the slightest motion in Yugyeom’s direction and Yugyeom felt calm slip over him. But he was good at telling when he was being magicked now and he could see through it.

“Why? Joonie and Seokjin are some of the most welcoming-” Hoseok’s sentence was cut off with a yelp. Taehyung had kicked him.

“Seokjin. As in, my boss, Seokjin.” Yugyeom said softly. Taehyung looked sheepish.

“I didn’t want you to feel like you were being outed.” He explained.

“Seokjin came to my grandmother’s funeral. He knew already, I’m sure.” Yugyeom glanced at his bracelet, the one that Seokjin had identified as malachite. He definitely knew.

“Is it okay to bring them? Namjoon is another elemental witch, I’m sure you could get some pointers.” Hoseok asked Yugyeom.

“It’s fine by me.” Yugyeom wondered how many other people in his life were witches. He didn’t really want to know.

“You’re stiff as a board. Relax.” BamBam breathed into his ear. That didn’t help relax him. The full glass of witches brew he downed did help him a little. It barely even fazed him when Hoseok astral projected to get Namjoon and Seokjin, who was apparently non-magical but was married to a fire mage. Yugyeom vaguely remembered seeing Namjoon at a company party, but he and Jungkook had been drinking copiously that night.

Seokjin looked completely normal, the way he always did. His husband, on the other hand, had a shock of deep purple hair and was wearing a black robe embroidered in silver and gold.

“I was wondering when we’d have to talk about this.” Seokjin said, gesturing for Yugyeom to come closer. “I think you’ve met Namjoon before?”

“Barely.” Yugyeom shook hands with the fire mage, noting how his hands were a little warm.

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Namjoon had a deep voice and even deeper dimples. “I’m good friends with Jackson Wang, so I have heard about you.”

“Remind me to beat Jackson the next time I see him.” Yugyeom was only half-joking.

Things got easier as the evening went on. BamBam was talking to Taehyung about his harmonizing power, while Namjoon gave some pointers on elemental magic to Yugyeom. Then Namjoon took off his robe, revealing a regular t-shirt underneath, and runes tattooed up and down his arms.

“Why are they tattooed?” Yugyeom asked, holding one of his forearms to look at them. Then he noticed a tattoo of Seokjin’s face and felt a little uncomfortable.

“I kept torching my charms, so I just did what Yoongi and Hoseok did, and got them tattooed on.” Namjoon shrugged. “It’s easier this way. They’re more a part of me. And Jin doesn’t have to wear charms too.”

“Why?”

Namjoon tapped the tattoo of Seokjin’s face. “The artist used some of Jin’s essence in this, so I always know if he’s in danger, if he’s unhappy.”

“Interesting.”

Yugyeom was so relaxed that he didn’t realize how much time had passed until Seokjin nudged him and reminded him they had work the next day. He and BamBam said their goodbyes and called their familiars away from the veritable dogpile they’d formed.

“Did you have a good time?” BamBam asked as they headed back to Yugyeom’s house.

“I did. It was a little weird to spend time with people other than you and Jinyoung and Youngjae.” Yugyeom had never really thought he was that shy, but he definitely had a hard time getting used to new people. “And the thing about our sex life.”

“Yeah, that was a little forward.”

“I know he means well, but god I don’t need someone else to remind me that I can’t touch you. I’m dying here.”

“I know. But the sooner you get in control the sooner we can.”

“I should just take time off work and do intensive study.”

“I wouldn’t mind.” BamBam smiled. “But tonight, we need to sleep.”

“Fine. If I hump you in my sleep its not my fault.”

“Oh, that’s been you? I thought it was Ivy.”

In the backseat, the wolf growled indignantly. Yugyeom just laughed.  

\--

The time had finally come, and Yugyeom thought he might throw up. BamBam had been rubbing his hand and murmuring soothing words for the past thirty minutes, and nothing had helped yet. He wanted to run out of the coffee shop and move to a different city.

But this was Jungkook, his Jungkook, his best friend since childhood. He deserved to know about Yugyeom’s magic. Taehyung had said he’d taken it pretty well when he’d showed him what he could do, but in Taehyung speak that could mean pretty much anything.

Jungkook came through the door and Yugyeom started hyperventilating. “Yugyeom, breathe. You’re going to be fine, I promise.” BamBam murmured. “It’s all going to be fine.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late.” Jungkook said, settling into the chair across from them. “You must be BamBam.”

“I am. Nice to finally meet you.” BamBam made pleasant small talk with Jungkook for a few minutes, and then he turned to him with a meaningful look. “Yugyeom had something to tell you.”

“Gyeomie?” Jungkook looked instantly worried. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Kookie, I’m fine.” Yugyeom took a deep breath. “It’s kind of a long, confusing story. The short version is that my grandmother was a witch, and when I was very little, she took my magic from me. When she passed away a couple months ago I got my magic back. And now I’m a witch too.”

Jungkook stared blankly at him for a second. “Are you being serious?”

“As a heart attack. I’m an earth witch, we think. Watch.” Yugyeom touched the soil of the plant in front of them gently, and it slowly formed a flower that bloomed before their eyes.

“Is there anyone in my life who isn’t magical?” Jungkook groaned, dropping his head into his hands.

“I didn’t know I was until a few months ago. I’ve just been waiting for the right time to tell you and I knew Taehyung was going to-”

“Wait, you knew about Taehyung before me?”

“I only knew because Taehyung recognized my charms and dragged me off to talk about it. He told me he was going to tell you when you guys went out and then give me the time to tell you when I was ready.”

“And you? Are you a witch too?”

BamBam nodded. “I’m a conjuror.”

“So you’re a witch. And your boyfriend is a witch. And my…something is a witch.” Jungkook looked like he wanted to tear his hair out.

“Yes. And that doesn’t change anything about me other than the fact that I can do some things most people can’t.” Yugyeom was probably cutting off the circulation to BamBam’s fingers, he was gripping them so tightly.

“Well of course it doesn’t change anything.” Jungkook rolled his eyes. “You’re still Gyeomie. It’s just a lot all at once, you know?” He took a deep breath. “So. What else can you do?”

“I’m still figuring out the extent of my abilities. I’ve blown a lot of stuff up so I can’t really show off.” Yugyeom rubbed the back of his head. “Pretty much the only thing I can control is my earth magic, and that’s mostly because of Ivy.”

“Who’s Ivy?”

“My familiar. You remember those few days I was really sick? I was manifesting her. She’s a wolf.”

“Taehyung told me he didn’t have a familiar. Do only some people get them?”

BamBam broke in. “According to some of Raymond’s texts, the more powerful witches have familiars because it helps focus the raw energy. But I don’t think I’m a particularly powerful conjuror and I have one.”

Jungkook just blinked. “Okay I’m going to need to meet this Raymond person and get the handbook.”

“I wish there was a handbook, Kookie.” Yugyeom was glad that Jungkook was approaching this the same way he’d approached every other subject: he wanted to learn as much as possible to understand it the best that he could.

“So you’ve only had magic for like, two months?” Jungkook asked as they left the coffee shop.

“Just about. It’s been rough going so far.” Yugyeom shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets. “In some respects I’ve been lucky to have people like Raymond and BamBam in my life, but if I’d gotten my magic as a kid I could control it.”

“And your grandma didn’t leave anything that said why she took it from you?”

“Our best guess is that she hadn’t told my mom about magic and didn’t want to try to explain it to her so she just took my magic so I could get it when I was old enough to handle it on my own.”

“Well no offense to your grandma but that’s bullshit.”

“I know, Kookie.” Yugyeom hooked his thumb over his shoulder at his car. “You wanna come play video games?”

“Uh, aren’t you two…” Jungkook made a vague thrusting gesture with his hips. BamBam let out a bark of a laugh.

“That’s another long story. Come on, you’ll get to meet Ivy.” So the three of them piled into the car, which BamBam had magically cleaned so it didn’t stink like Vaporub anymore. When they pulled up to the house, Ivy was sitting casually on the front lawn.

“Goddammit, how does she keep getting out?” Yugyeom swore, opening the garage door.

“How does who keep getting out?” Jungkook asked.

“Look at the lawn again.” BamBam said, pointing at Ivy. “See her now?”

“Oh my god, that is a wolf.” Jungkook stared through the window as Yugyeom parked the car. “Why couldn’t I see her before?”

“Most non-magical people can’t see familiars. It’s not so much that they’re invisible as much as they’re…on a different frequency, I guess. They just vibrate in a way that you don’t notice them until they’re pointed out.”

Ivy clung close to Yugyeom, eyeing Jungkook suspiciously. “I don’t know how you keep getting out of the house, but if people can’t see you I guess its fine.” Yugyeom petted her ears. “Ivy, this is Jungkook. Be nice.”

Jungkook held out the back of his hand the way he might for a dog to sniff. Ivy sniffed once, twice, and then licked his palm. “That’s a good thing? She’s not tasting me?”

“She likes you.” Yugyeom laughed. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

\--

Yugyeom had waffled back and forth over whether or not he wanted to make the phone call for ages before his thumb twitched and he hit the call button. He stared at it in dismay for a second, but then the line clicked.

“Hello?” Hoseok said on the other end. “Hello?”

“Hi, Hoseok.” Yugyeom cleared his throat. “It’s Yugyeom.”

“Oh, hey! Did Taehyung give you my number?”

“Yeah. I asked for it.”

There was a moment of silence. “I thought you and BamBam were a thing?”

“We are a thing! Very much a thing. Completely a thing.” Yugyeom spluttered. “I asked for your number because I thought you might be able to help me.”

“Oh? What do you need?” Yugyeom explained it and Hoseok agreed to come over the next night.

Yugyeom told BamBam that Jungkook was coming to hang out one on one, then went about collecting the things that Hoseok had told him to get.

When the orange haired witch showed up the next night, Yugyeom felt a little ill from nerves. Hoseok’s bright smile and the adoring attention of Melinda, his familiar, helped a little, but he was still shaky as he moved the rug out of the way in his living room. He’d gotten much better at controlling his powers; instead of smashing through the dry wall, the rug only hit the wall a little hard.

“Do you have everything we need?” Hoseok asked, producing a piece of white chalk from his pocket. Yugyeom nodded, gesturing at the table. Hoseok sketched the pentacle onto the floor, then plunked himself in the center of it. “Just put them on the points, and hand me the candle.”

“Okay.” Yugyeom looked at the small pile of things he’d assembled: his family ring; his grandmother’s spell book; her favorite silk scarf; her wedding ring (sneakily lifted from his mother); and a worn deck of Tarot cards. Once all the pieces had been laid out, he lit the white pillar candle and handed it to Hoseok.

Hoseok took three deep breaths, his eyes shut tight. Melinda lay just outside the pentacle, warm brown eyes focused on Hoseok. The orange haired witch shuddered, and then his eyes opened, milky white.

“Yugyeom?” The voice that came from Hoseok’s mouth sounded like his, overlaid with a woman’s.

“Halmoni?” Yugyeom leaned a little closer. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Gyeomie.” She sounded exasperated. “You called me with a medium? You can’t do it yourself yet?”

“I’m not a medium. Plus, with my luck I’d end up blowing something up or opening a portal to a demon dimension.”

“You can call your kin.” Hoseok’s head shook mechanically. “Well, I’m here now. What did you want to talk about?”

“Why did you take my magic from me?” It had occurred to Yugyeom that he really needed to know why she’d taken such an essential part of him away, and never told him about it. It was a hang-up he just couldn’t get past, especially when every witch he met asked him about it.

Hoseok sighed. “Oh, my little bean sprout.” Yugyeom’s ears colored at the old nickname. “I knew what you were going to be. I lay my hand on your mother’s belly and I saw you, and I knew what your power would be like. And the day you were born, I put my hand in your crib and took the little seedling from you.”

“But why? What was so bad about me being a witch?”

“Your grandfather never knew about my power, which was probably lucky for me during the divorce from that bastard.” The chuckle that came out sounded weird and garbled. “But I never told your mother either, and when I had a vision of you, I knew it would be too much for your parents to handle, even with my help. My little earth witch, you were going to be too powerful too young. So I took the seedling from you to let you grow up, to have a normal childhood.”

“Why not tell me when I moved out?”

“The time wasn’t right yet. I knew how the future was going to play out.” The double voice turned serious. “Bean sprout, you need to be careful. There are dark times coming on the horizon.”

“What do you mean, dark times?”

“I can’t tell you, I’m sorry. It could affect the future.”

“Well if there’s dark times coming, that would be a pretty good effect if I could stop them.”

“No, bean sprout. Just trust me. I love you. Be careful, and tell Jackson that I miss him.” With that, Yugyeom watched the milky color disappear from Hoseok’s eyes. He blinked a few times, then looked at Yugyeom.

“So, what did I miss?”

\--

Yugyeom had kept the news his grandmother had given him to himself, until one night he was doing magical exercises at the magic shop. Raymond had switched to giving him smaller, detail-oriented tasks to do to help him hone his control. Yugyeom was painfully dipping a quill into ink and writing out the names of different herbs using only his magic. His teeth hurt from clenching them together so hard.

When the bell over the door jangled, he lost his concentration and the quill went shooting across the room. Pebbles yowled indignantly, shaking the ink splatters off her white coat.

“Sorry,” Yugyeom muttered, leaning back in his chair to see who had come in. Jackson, still in his cheery yellow scrubs, was standing at the counter, his eyebrows furrowed into a line.

“This is the whole message I got.” Jackson was telling Raymond when Yugyeom walked up. “His partner reached out to me as soon as he went missing.”

“Who went missing?” Yugyeom asked.

“My friend Jooheon.” Jackson’s eyes were filled with worry. “His partner Hoseok sent out a distress call. Apparently when he came home from work, Jooheon was missing and the whole house was trashed.”

“What kind of magic does Jooheon have?” Raymond asked, looking up from the phone.

“Fulgurkinesis. Lightning mage.” Jackson ruffled his hair with one hand. “There are scorch marks all over the house, like there was a struggle.”

“This isn’t the first report I’ve heard in the last few months.” Raymond set the phone down. He looked like he’d aged ten years in the past ten minutes. “Is he a particularly powerful witch?”

“I guess so? But so is Hoseok, he’s a projector. Why take Jooheon and not Hoseok?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that we need to call a meeting of the local witches. Jooheon is the third witch in this county to go missing.” Raymond whistled through his teeth and Athens flapped down from the eaves. After scribbling out a quick message, Raymond slipped the paper into Athens’s beak and the owl took off. “Yugyeom, you and Ivy should go home, get some rest.”

“I should tell you something first.” Yugyeom hesitated. “I contacted my grandmother.”

“You spoke to Hyejin?” Jackson whispered.

“Yugyeom, that was very dangerous.” Raymond started.

“No, I used a medium. My friend Hoseok is a spirit witch. He channeled her for me.” Yugyeom brushed his hand over the top of Ivy’s head. “She told me she saw something dark on the horizon. She wouldn’t tell me what it was, just that I needed to be careful.”

“She could be referring to this trend of kidnappings.” Raymond sighed. “Go home boys. Lock your doors.” The two younger men hugged him goodbye, and went outside to their cars. BamBam was just coming back from a delivery run he’d been doing.

“Hey Jackson.” BamBam caught a better look at his face in the streetlight. “Are you okay?” Jackson relayed the whole story, including that Yugyeom had contacted his grandmother. He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t ask.

“So we’re battening down the hatches I guess. Raymond is calling a meeting.” Jackson jingled his keys in his pocket. “I mean, Mark and I won’t go probably. We’re non-magical.”

“But you’re part of our community. There are probably two witches in the whole county that you haven’t helped.” BamBam whistled and Pebbles came out of the magic shop. “I should go home with you, Yugyeom. Safety in numbers.”

“I’m sure that’s all you’re thinking about.” Jackson muttered. BamBam ignored him and went inside to talk to Raymond.

“Um. My grandmother had a message for you.” Yugyeom said. “She said she misses you.”

“I miss her too.” Jackson shook his head. “There have been too many losses recently. I’m tired of it.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Yugyeom assured him. BamBam returned and they went to their separate cars to head for home. BamBam made it there first because Yugyeom had to stop and pick up something from the grocery store.

BamBam was in the living room playing with Pebbles when Yugyeom came back. He busied himself with putting his groceries away so he didn’t have to look at his boyfriend yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’d called her?” BamBam asked, appearing behind him.

“I don’t know.” Yugyeom admitted. “I wanted to talk to her in private, I guess. And then after that I just didn’t know when the right time was.”

“Did you ask why she took your magic?”

“She says I was going to be too powerful too young so she took it from me. Which I guess cements the idea that I’m an earth witch, not a plant witch.”

“Well we knew that already Gyeomie.”

Yugyeom shrugged. “I don’t think I’m all that powerful to be an earth witch.”

“You are, you just can’t control it well.” BamBam hugged him around the waist. “You’ll get there. It just takes time.”

“I know.” Yugyeom rested his cheek on the top of his fluffy white head.

“And that means you’re going to have to be careful.” BamBam pulled away, his eyes serious. “I’ve met Jooheon, and you’re probably as powerful as him. If someone is kidnapping witches, you’re going to be on that list too.”

Yugyeom didn’t want to think about that, or the very real chance that BamBam would be taken first. He didn’t want to find out which one of them would be right.

\--

The knowledge of the kidnappings hung over him like a dark cloud. Taehyung and Yugyeom had agreed not to tell Jungkook to avoid worrying him. That all went out the window when Yugyeom got a phone call from Mark, who sounded hysterical.

“Mark, slow down, I can’t understand you.” Yugyeom said, getting up from his desk to talk in privacy. Seokjin and Jungkook both watched him go out onto the balcony. “What’s going on?”

“There was an attack.” Mark heaved out. “At the store. Oh my god, Yugyeom, my father-”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hang on, I’ll be right there.” Yugyeom hung up and sprinted back into the office.

“What’s going on?” Seokjin asked as Yugyeom hurriedly threw his things into his backpack.

“There was an attack. Tuan and Sons.” Yugyeom shook his head. “I don’t know a lot.”

“I’m coming with you.” Seokjin grabbed his jacket. “Jungkook, you don’t leave this building without Taehyung.”

“What the hell? What’s going on?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Just stay put, keep doing tickets. If anyone asks where we are just say we had family emergencies.” Seokjin practically shoved Yugyeom into the elevators, leaving Jungkook staring after them in shock.

The entire way to the store, Seokjin tried to reach Namjoon on the phone. “It’s like he has it turned off or something. But he should know I’m trying to reach him.” Seokjin swore at the phone. “God dammit Namjoon, pick up.”

The store looked fine from the outside, but they could smell smoke and sulfur from the car. Mark was sitting on the front steps crying, Jackson frantically trying to calm him down.

“What happened?” Yugyeom asked, running up to them.

“We’re not sure. It looks like a bomb went off in there.” Jackson didn’t take his eyes off Mark. “Shh, baby, it’s okay.”

Rather than try to wring more information out of them, Yugyeom and Seokjin went inside. Half of the store was scorched and destroyed. Alistair was poking through some of the debris with his cane.

“Alistair.” Yugyeom wished it was literally anyone else that he’d run into. “What happened?”

“We aren’t entirely sure.” Alistair sighed. “When Raymond wakes up, we’ll find out more.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Seokjin asked. Alistair looked like he’d just been spoken to by a cockroach.

“Sana is in with him now. She’ll take care of it.”

The back door swung open and Youngjae came in, a small grey tinted bundle in his arms. Yugyeom swayed on his feet, gripping Seokjin’s arm to stay upright. “Pebbles?”

“She took a hard hit, but she’ll be all right.” Youngjae wiped his eyes, red with smoke irritation and grief. “I’m sorry Yugyeom.”

“Is he-?” Yugyeom felt like the room was spinning. “Is BamBam-?”

“He’s missing.” Youngjae cradled Pebbles a little closer. “She’s not making a lot of sense, but from what I can tell, a group of people with magical powers came in and took him, and nearly killed Raymond. Athens went to get Mark.”

“I need to sit down.” Yugyeom thought he might throw up. Seokjin ushered him into a seat, making soft comforting noises behind him. The back door opened again and a young woman with blond hair came in.

“What’s the prognosis?” Alistair asked.

“He’ll be fine. There was some internal bleeding, a concussion. I’ll need to keep working on him, and Jackson should stay with him overnight.” The woman looked at Yugyeom, who must have looked as gray as Pebbles’s fur. “Are you Yugyeom?” He nodded woodenly. “My name is Sana. I’m a friend of BamBam’s. He speaks highly of you.”

Rather than answer, Yugyeom bolted into the backyard to throw up. He retched, down on all fours. The earth seemed to rumble under his hands. _BamBam is missing_ kept cycling through his mind. A cool hand pressed onto the back of his neck.

“Yugyeom, I understand that you’re upset.” Seokjin said into his ear. “But you need to calm down, or you’re going to cause an earthquake. Bring yourself in. Your strength is better saved for getting him back.”

It took several minutes of gentle coaxing to bring Yugyeom back to himself and for the earth to settle. Seokjin helped him up and out to the front porch, where his family had started to gather. Jaebum looked ashen.

“Not Jinyoung, too.” Yugyeom whispered. Jaebum nodded.

“I couldn’t get him on the phone and the aquarium says he left for lunch and never came back.” Jaebum sat heavily on the concrete. Seokjin helped lower Yugyeom slowly, keeping a tight grip on him.

“We’re going to get through this.” Seokjin told him. “We’re going to get him back.”

Yugyeom joined Mark in crying. As long as he cried, he could get his grief and fear out, leaving him nothing but numb control. He was going to get BamBam back if he had to tear the earth apart with his bare hands.

\--

The meeting at the clearing was grave. A good deal of witches were missing, but Yugyeom felt the loss of his friends the most: BamBam, Namjoon, Yoongi, Jinyoung, and Hoseok were all missing. Taehyung was trying his best to keep everyone calm, but his power couldn’t stretch too far. He finally gave up and focused his attention on Jimin, fragile and tear-stained, and Yugyeom, who was barely keeping his power under control.

Before they had left the magic shop, Raymond had woken up and given a description of their attackers, which Alistair was preparing to read for the gathered witches.

“The attackers entered the store under the guise of purchasing basic herbs for potion-making,” Alistair read in his clipped accent. “BamBam noticed a caster’s wand under one’s jacket, and then the attackers revealed themselves to have silver eyes.”

There was a hushed rumble of fear through the crowd. “What does that mean?” Yugyeom asked Taehyung dully.

“It means they’re warlocks.” Taehyung whispered. “They steal magic from powerful witches.”

“Do they live through it?”

Taehyung shook his head. Yugyeom regretted asking the question.

“I say we go after them.” A woman towards the front of the group said. “We’re a powerful community, we can take them down. Before they kill our brethren.”

“They’ve taken most of our powerful casters. How are we supposed to defeat them when they have so much power?” A man piped up. It devolved into scared shouting and arguing. Yugyeom held his head in both hands as Taehyung’s focus slipped.

“Enough!” Yugyeom roared, and the earth shook under him. The crowd fell silent, staring at him. “We’ve wasted enough time!”

“And who are you, boy?” An old man asked.

“He’s my grandson. Watch your mouth.” A voice said behind them. Yugyeom turned to see his grandmother’s transparent shape behind him. “He’s right. This community has been devastated, and it’s up to us to make sure it ends here. Gather your forces, call for neighboring communities. We don’t have much time before we lose them for good.”

It was clear how much respect the community had for Hyejin when people began to nod slowly, murmuring to each other.

“If you won’t listen to me, listen to her.” Yugyeom said, his voice stronger. “Whether or not I have help, I’m going to get them back.” Hyejin nodded, and vanished. Yugyeom wondered if he’d called her accidentally through his ring. It did seem a bit brighter than normal.

Within minutes, the younger generation, and the elders who were able, had pledged themselves to rescue their friends, and had gone off to get help. Yugyeom leaned heavily against a tree, steadying himself against the strong oak.

“You’re more powerful than we knew.” Alistair said. “Hyejin didn’t tell me she had such power in her family.”

“She probably didn’t like you all that much.” Yugyeom muttered, and he could have sworn he heard his grandmother giggle. Alistair sniffed indignantly and walked away.

“You’ve got balls, Gyeomie.” Jimin sniffled. Bram, Yoongi’s bat, was hanging limply from his pink hair like a dying flower.

“We’re going to get them back.” Yugyeom assured him. Maybe because he hadn’t been raised with ghost stories of warlocks, he didn’t fear them as much as everyone else did. He didn’t care if he had to bring the whole building down around them. He was going to get his friends back.

In an hour, everyone who was going to fight had returned to the clearing. It occurred to Yugyeom then that he had no idea where to start looking.

“That’s all right. We know how.” Taehyung turned his head. “Minhyuk! Let’s go!”

A beam of silvery light appeared, bursting from a red-haired witch’s hand. Taehyung threw a ball of golden light to join it. Different bursts of colored light started to mingle into the beam.

“Think of BamBam, and draw up your power.” Jimin instructed him, before flinging a bolt of pink light. Yugyeom concentrated the way BamBam had instructed him, felt the buzz slipping into his fingers. And then he threw his own bolt, an electric green.

The magic felt like electricity in the air, a moving, crackling ball of energy. Yugyeom didn’t think he’d ever seen anything more beautiful than the coalition of the community’s magic. It had started to hurt his eyes when the red-haired witch drew it all back into himself with a crash. The people around him had to help him stay on his feet.

“Minhyuk’s a tracker. We’ll be able to find them following him.” Taehyung explained. Suddenly brooms began appearing in peoples’ hands.

“Um.” Yugyeom looked at the broom Taehyung was holding. “I don’t have one of those.”

“You can ride with me. Just hold on tight.” Taehyung showed him how to mount it and made sure he was hanging on tight before they took off into the night with the other witches.

Yugyeom wasn’t sure if he was screaming or if it was just the wind whipping past his ears. Icy tears streaked down the sides of his face as they followed the mass to the other side of town.

The crowd was silent when they landed outside the old warehouse. It seemed almost cliché to set up a kidnapping base in an abandoned warehouse on the bad side of town, even though it made sense. No one here would bat an eyelash about the screams, or the dead bodies.

“This place is pretty heavily fortified.” A young witch to his right said. Her hair was blue, cropped short. “Amber, can you break through this?”

“I might be able to with his help.” The red haired girl said in response, pointing at Yugyeom. “I’m a spell breaker, but I need you to disrupt the runes inside.”

“How?” Yugyeom felt a little in over his head.

“Do that earthquake trick again.”

Yugyeom didn’t want to tell her he could only do it when he was upset. So he knelt down, hands pressed against the overgrown grass and weeds. He thought about Pebbles, who had taken a spell for BamBam. He thought about gentle Jinyoung with his voice like the waves. He thought about Yoongi, so unsettling but so gentle with Jimin. He thought about Raymond, clinging to life, and Mark’s pain and terror. He thought about Seokjin’s pale, drawn face when he realized his husband had been taken. He thought about BamBam, his beautiful BamBam. And he poured all his grief and fear and anger into the earth and thought, _Move._

And the earth shook beneath their feet, a roar that seemed to last for ages. Amber stood above him, hands outstretched and chanting, until the iron door burst open. Yugyeom let the earth settle, straightening up slowly so he didn’t keel over.

“We’re in. Let’s go.” Amber led the way into the warehouse, where pieces of ceiling tile and concrete had fallen into a mess.

A screech rang out in the darkness, and then there was a flurry of colored lights, from in front and behind as the witches defended their line. Yugyeom couldn’t even think about fighting the warlocks. He couldn’t think of anything except for BamBam.

So he stayed low, dragging Taehyung along with him through the crowd. He knew Taehyung could sense people’s emotions and that he would be able to locate the missing witches.

And he was right. Taehyung led him down a hallway, then stopped abruptly when a warlock stepped into their path. Yugyeom felt deeply unsettled by the way the moonlight reflected off his silver eyes.

“Get lost, little witches?” The warlock asked, a ball of fire appearing in his hand.

“No.” Taehyung whispered, eyes glued to the fire. _Not Namjoon. Please not Namjoon._ The warlock started to advance towards them, arm cocking behind him to throw the fireball. “Yugyeom, do something.” Taehyung had told him once that he was a pacifist and had been raised by pacifist parents, and didn’t have any offensive magic.

Yugyeom knew how to do two things very well: how to cause an earthquake, and how to blow things up. He cocked his arm back like he was about to hit a volleyball and spiked a ball of green light towards the warlock. It hit the wall, showering the warlock with drywall and wood. The fireball skittered low, impacting on Taehyung’s leg. He yelped and smothered the fire with his jacket.

“Are you okay?” Yugyeom asked.

“I’m fine, but you may want to hit him again.” Taehyung pointed at where the pile of debris had started to stir.

Then the debris lit on fire and the warlock was up, looking completely unscathed.

“Oh, fuck me.” Desperate, Yugyeom lifted one foot and brought it crashing back down, sending a shock wave through the earth. The warlock flew back against the wall and landed in a heap, unmoving.

“How did you learn to do that?” Taehyung asked.

“Would you believe me if I said I saw it in a music video?” Yugyeom admitted. “Come on, we need to get moving.” Taehyung was limping a little as they hurried down the hall. The door was hanging oddly on its hinges thanks to Yugyeom’s shock wave, making it easy for them to wrench open.

“BamBam?” Yugyeom called into the darkness.

“Gyeomie?” BamBam’s voice came weakly from one corner. “Is that you?”

“We’re here, we came to get you.” Yugyeom started to move forward.

“Don’t! If you come any closer you’ll get trapped in here like we are.” A strange voice said. “They used hellweed on us.”

“Tae, can you make some light?” Yugyeom asked. He needed to be able to see what he was doing if he was going to help them. Taehyung produced several balls of light, hanging them in the air above them. Yugyeom felt like throwing up when he saw them. Several of the witches were unconscious, but all of them looked badly beaten. Their limbs were held down by the black, spiky vines of the hellweed. Yugyeom had read the book on magical plants first to be able to take care of his greenhouse properly, and he remembered the section on hellweed. It was like magical quicksand; witches and their powers couldn’t escape it.

“I’m going to move the vines back. Try to stand up as soon as you’re loose and get out.” Yugyeom said, searching through the confused vibrations of the warehouse to find the hellweed. It hummed dark and low and made his mouth taste like ashes. The vines were stretching from a tangled knot of the plant on the ceiling. If he could just draw them back into the plant itself, he could free them.

“Slowly.” Taehyung warned. Yugyeom nodded, took a deep breath, and began to pull the vines away from the captured witches. It was slow going, and the thorns left bleeding sores behind. But one by one, the witches were able to get up and help each other get free. BamBam helped Jinyoung up, Namjoon and Yoongi supporting each other as they headed towards the door.

All of the witches were free and moving out of the room when a vine snaked down from the plant and curled itself around Yugyeom’s throat. He yelped as the thorns dug into his skin and tried to free himself, but more came down from the ceiling and drew him up off his feet. He clawed at the vines wrapped around his neck. His rings sparked and sputtered, unable to protect him from the magical plant.

“Yugyeom!” BamBam came back into the room, only to be restrained by Taehyung.

“If you touch him you’ll both be trapped.” Taehyung stuck his head back out. “Namjoon! We need you in here!”

Yugyeom’s vision was starting to go black, the hellweed more effective than any noose. BamBam howled as his movements became more and more feeble. Yugyeom’s head lolled onto his chest just as fire exploded through the room.

\--

Yugyeom wasn’t sure where he was when he woke up. The ceiling above him was white, which meant he wasn’t at home. He felt warm and drowsy, but when he tried to move his arm he found the motion restricted. He grumbled sleepily and looked down to see his arm wrapped in bandages.

“Please don’t move. I just finished doing those.” Jackson said to his right. Yugyeom moved his head slowly and groaned when it hurt his neck. “Actually, just stay still. I’m about to give you a painkiller shot.” Yugyeom avoided looking at the needle.

“What happened?” He asked in a hoarse voice.

“To you specifically, I don’t know. The other witches have told me they were fighting the warlocks and you and Taehyung pulled a Lone Ranger and went to free the missing witches. They came out of wherever they were and BamBam and Namjoon were carrying you.”

“Where’s BamBam?”

“Sana’s working on him right now. He and Raymond put up quite a fight and they were injured pretty badly.” Jackson patted his hand. “He’ll be all right. All the healers from the neighboring counties have come to help take care of the wounded. Even Mark is here mixing potions for people.”

“Anyone dead?”

“A whole lot of warlocks. I think it’s safe to say that the witches they kidnapped were pretty pissed.” Jackson leaned back. “You know, you can come out from under there.”

“Huh?” Yugyeom asked, but then there was a cold snout pressed against his hand. “Oh, hi Ivy.”

“Youngjae told her to stay under the bed so that I could bandage you up. I think Namjoon must have gotten you accidentally, you’ve got burns all over.” Ivy licked the back of his hand and whined.

“I know.” Yugyeom said, even though he didn’t really know. The drugs were making him sleepy.

“Why don’t you get some rest? I should check on Jinyoung.” Jackson fluffed up his pillows and made sure he was comfortable before he left. Yugyeom fell back asleep with Ivy watching over him.

When he woke up again, his arms itched and BamBam was sitting by his bedside.

“Hi baby.” BamBam said, the tenderness in his eyes making Yugyeom’s heart hurt a little.

“Hey.” Yugyeom looked him over. “You look okay.”

“Sana patched me up pretty well. They’ll probably come take care of your burns soon. They’re just trying to get through the people who were hurt worse.” BamBam smoothed Yugyeom’s hair back from his forehead.

“What happened to me?”

“The hellweed was choking you. Namjoon and Jinyoung came in to get you out. Jinyoung was trying to protect you with water but the fire Namjoon was using on the vines kind of got you in some spots.”

“They saved my life.”

“And you helped save ours.” BamBam kissed his hand gently. “You got your power under control and saved us.”

“They took you from me. I would have taken the whole world apart with my bare hands to get you back.”

“I love you, too.” There was a soft _mrow_ from under the bed and BamBam bent over gingerly to lift Pebbles onto his lap. Her fur was still a little singed, but she didn’t look too worse for wear.

They talked quietly for a while until a healer who introduced himself as Hyunwoo came to heal Yugyeom’s burns. They were mostly concentrated on his chest, neck, and arms, and they itched like crazy as Hyunwoo worked on him.

“How bad does it look?” Yugyeom asked when he was done.

“The skin is still pretty pink, but we can make you a salve to put on them that’ll help fade the scars.” Hyunwoo blew out a long breath. “I don’t know when that will be. There’s still so much to do.”

“I can live with some scarring for a while. Thank you for helping us.”

“Thank you for helping bring Jooheon home.” Hyunwoo looked emotional. “We thought we’d lost him forever. Jackson told me you were the one who really got everyone to act.”

“Don’t make me out to be some kind of hero. My boyfriend was one of the people who was taken.”

“But you still forced everyone to get past their fear. That’s pretty good to me.” He smiled, patting Yugyeom’s hand. “You can go home if you want to, just be careful with the scarring. It’ll be a little tender.”

“Thanks.” Yugyeom found out very quickly that his clothes had been burned beyond repair. BamBam conjured him some clothes, even though he watched him intently while he got dressed. Both of them just wanted to go home and sleep some more, to try to recover from the ordeal. BamBam gave Pebbles a bath in the sink, which she did not like, while Yugyeom ordered them a pizza. He finally braved a look in the mirror and tried not to scream.

He was covered in pink scar tissue, shiny against the rest of his skin. He didn’t know how he was supposed to go to work like this, with an obviously healed major injury. Maybe a turtleneck. _Sure, a turtleneck at the end of August_. Then again, everyone was giving him credit for helping save the captured witches; Seokjin would probably give him all the time off he wanted.

BamBam, Yugyeom, and the familiars curled up on the couch, eating pizza and pretending to pay attention to the TV. Apparently Yugyeom’s earthquakes had not gone unnoticed; the geologists were at a loss to explain them.

“Oops.” Yugyeom said, looking at some of the damage he’d caused.

“It was all in the line of good.” BamBam reminded him. “You were saving lives.”

“Everyone keeps acting like I was this huge hero that came in and saved everyone. I only cared about getting you and Jinyoung and our friends back.”

“You did it for love. That’s pretty good.”

“You sound like Hyunwoo.”

“Don’t downplay yourself, Yugyeom. Although that might have saved you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everyone thought you were a plant witch, remember? Not particularly powerful. The fact that only a few of us knew you’re an earth witch and a powerful one at that probably kept the warlocks from coming after you.”

“Well I’m glad for that then.”

It was hard for them to get comfortable in bed. Ivy and Pebbles both wanted to sleep in the bed, and they were still a little tender from their injuries. But Yugyeom fell asleep with BamBam’s hand in his, and the knowledge that he was there, and that he was safe, was enough.

\--

“You both are _fucking idiots_.” Jungkook said, glaring at Taehyung and Yugyeom.

“Hey, that was all his idea.” Taehyung pointed at Yugyeom. “He was the one who dragged me in there.”

“And nearly died for his trouble.” Jungkook shook his head. “Gyeomie, you have to be careful.”

“Trust me, I don’t think I’ll be making a habit of it.” Yugyeom held up his beer. “To not dying.” The others clinked bottles with him. “Also, Seokjin owes me his life now.”

“And Yoongi. You’ve got a night witch in debt to you. That could be handy down the line.” Taehyung reminded him.

“Yeah, maybe.” Yugyeom dug his phone out of his pocket as it started buzzing.

 _You need to come home right now_. BamBam’s text read.

 _Why?_ Yugyeom texted back.

 _Raymond just gave us the all clear. Now get over here._ It took a second for Yugyeom to realize what he meant. But when realization dawned on him, he nearly choked on his beer.

“Uh, I gotta go.” Yugyeom said, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Maybe.” He took off before anyone could ask him where he was going. He was very conscious of how fast he was driving, but he also knew that BamBam and Raymond had glamoured his car to make it less obvious to cops. Apparently it was a standard thing that witches did, especially if they were driving around with magical objects in the car.

BamBam was waiting at the door when Yugyeom pulled up.

“Jesus, I’m surprised it took you this long,” BamBam muttered against Yugyeom’s lips as he found himself pressed against the wall of the entry hall.

“It took me a minute to figure out what you meant.” Yugyeom admitted, peeling BamBam’s shirt off him. “But I can’t stand it anymore.”

“We’ve got the all clear. Raymond thinks you won’t blow anything up.” BamBam grasped his boyfriend’s head in his hands. “I need you to touch me or I think I’m going to explode.”

“Consider it done.” Yugyeom hoisted him over his shoulder and carried him into the bedroom. He practically dumped him on the mattress before going for a condom and lube.

“Do you want to top?” BamBam asked, working his jeans down his legs.

“I’ve never not topped.” Yugyeom admitted as he stripped his shirt off. BamBam, jeans still hooked around one foot, gaped at him.

“Spoiled.” BamBam threw his jeans at him. “Next time.”

“I promise.” Yugyeom dove on top of him, ignoring BamBam’s squeak, and immediately kissed him so hard that if BamBam had had any air left in his lungs, it would have been gone after that.

To an outside observer, it probably looked more like wrestling than a heavy makeout session, but the two of them were so desperate for each other that they were frantic, pawing at each other and battling to be on top.

“Take your healing ring off.” Yugyeom said as he slithered down the bed.

“Why?” BamBam asked, even as he slipped it off his finger. Yugyeom sank his teeth into the soft, tanned flesh of the older man’s thigh, sucking hard until a bruise bloomed under his lips. BamBam pulled his hair so hard that Yugyeom’s scalp hurt. “Fuck, Gyeomie.”

“I’m planning on it.” Yugyeom lubed his fingers up and started working BamBam open slowly, sucking obscenely on the tip of the other man’s cock as he did.

“I’m not gonna last if you keep that up.” BamBam wheezed as Yugyeom’s long fingers found his prostate. Yugyeom let his cock slide out of his mouth with a slick _pop_ , but continued the assault with his fingers.

Yugyeom was careful enough that when he finally slid in it was hardly a stretch. BamBam hooked his legs around his waist, pulling him in closer.

“God, I’ve wanted you for so long.” Yugyeom groaned, pumping his hips shallowly just to feel BamBam around him.

“The feeling is mutual, darling.” BamBam forced him into a faster, deeper thrust, and when Yugyeom was least expecting it, flooded his body with magic. Yugyeom seized up immediately, the pleasure pulsing into him almost too much to bear.

“How did you learn to do that?” Yugyeom gasped out, managing to get himself to move again.

“I may-” BamBam grunted when Yugyeom slammed up into him harder, “I may have asked Jimin for a tip or two.”

“Remind me to thank him.” Yugyeom pulled BamBam’s hands off his shoulders, lacing their fingers together above BamBam’s head.

“Gyeomie…” The whine came out from between his teeth. “You have to touch me.”

“Why do I think you can do it without me touching you?” Yugyeom still let go of one hand, licking a stripe of saliva up his palm before he wrapped his hand around BamBam’s length.

“I can, but not right now. Please, just touch me.” BamBam’s back arched up off the bed as Yugyeom got the right angle with his hips and with the edge of his thumb. “Touch me, fuck me.”

Something savage flashed in Yugyeom’s eyes and he bit the side of BamBam’s neck hard enough that he saw stars. BamBam cried out, writhed in his grasp, and came all over his stomach. Yugyeom fucked him through it, chasing his own release. BamBam gave him another hit of magic and then it was over.

The two of them lay in Yugyeom’s bed, sticky, sweaty, and out of breath for a long moment. Yugyeom had thrown one arm over his eyes, trying to put all his pieces back together.

“I think you took part of my soul.” He finally said, looking over at BamBam.

“Sorry?” BamBam smiled. “Come on. Shower.”

Yugyeom caught him around the waist, pulling him back onto the bed. “Really? You want to shower after the first round?”

“How many do you think we’re going to go?”

“Well I did promise I’d bottom.” Yugyeom laughed at the look on his face. “Bam, I haven’t been allowed to touch you for months. I have some cravings to fulfill.”

The older man just laughed, and grabbed some tissues from the nightstand to clean himself up. “We’re going to break the bed.”

“That’s fine. We can fix it.” Yugyeom pulled him closer, nosing against the bruise he’d left on his neck. “I’ll grow us a new one.”

“Very Nicholas Sparks of you.”

“Did Nicholas Sparks have earth magic? I must have missed that part.”

“I could have made a joke about you causing earthquakes and making my bedrock.”

“Shut up.” Yugyeom rolled over and pulled him in for a long, easy kiss. It was so good to get to hold him finally, to touch him and to get to hear what he sounded like when he moaned.

It was late when they finally got tired and decided to stop for the night. BamBam conjured some little lights that moved like stars, lazily stroking Yugyeom’s hair as they watched them.

“I don’t think I’m going to work tomorrow.” Yugyeom commented sleepily, watching the stars move above his bed.

“I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t want to get out bed when I’m in it naked.”

“You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“And that you love me.”

“When did I ever say I loved you?” Yugyeom immediately started backpedaling when he saw BamBam’s face. “I’m sorry, that was a bad joke. I do think I love you.” He laced their fingers together. “When I thought I’d lost you I went a little crazy.”

“And when I thought I was going to watch you die in front of me, I went a little crazy too.” BamBam kissed his nose sweetly. “I do have to go to work in the morning. Raymond and I have to rebuild the shop.”

“Can’t that wait? He shouldn’t even be up and moving yet.”

“He’s stubborn.” BamBam shrugged and waved the stars away. “You’ll learn about Papa Tuan very soon.”

“Papa Tuan kicked warlock ass, apparently.”

“Well he doesn’t just read books on philosophy. He’s one scary ass witch, and he can outduel pretty much anyone.”

“Remind me not to piss him off.” Yugyeom snuggled in closer. “You smell nice.”

“Really? By now I must smell like lube, sweat, and sex.”

“What makes you think I don’t like that smell?” BamBam swatted at him and he just laughed. “You smell like BamBam. It’s nice.”

“You need sleep. I think I may have screwed your brains out.” BamBam pulled the covers up over them, tucking them securely around Yugyeom’s shoulders. “Good night, angel.”

“Night Bam.” Just as he was slipping off to sleep, Yugyeom smelled gardenias. And when he woke up, there were gardenias and daffodils all over the room. _Flowers for an earth witch_. It made sense. He looked over at BamBam, still sleeping, and thought of how utterly bewitched he was by him. Nothing could separate them now.


End file.
